Sally
by spauthor
Summary: Follow Sally-Anne Perks on her journey through Hogwarts. She will eventually meet the Dark Lord and find out a disturbing secret about herself, with disastrous consequences for everyone. Will contain extreme violence and controversial sex scenes.
1. Sally Anne

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

_**Summary**_

Sally-Anne Perks is a beautiful girl, who's also very smart and very sweet. You'd think she's the ultimate good girl. And for a while, she certainly is.

Until, in a later chapter, she finds out something about herself that will turn her world upside down, and life will never again be the way it used to be.

She becomes a victim of abuse, torture, deceit, and in particular, mind control, which confuses her and causes her to perceive her life and the people around her in a twisted, distorted and agonizingly wrong way. With disastrous consequences!

**A/N: It may seem to some of you, when you first start reading this story, that Sally is a bit of a Mary-Sue. However, I guarantee you that she is **_**not**_**! Just bear with it for a while.**

**Also, this is not an AU. The story will mostly be following the books, with a few minor exceptions (some with far-reaching effects, though). It starts in Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, and will incorporate the events from books 4, 5, 6, and 7, and then it will continue on from there.**

**The first 20-something chapters are all about Sally and her experiences at Hogwarts.**

**Then, eventually, near the 30****th**** chapter, Voldemort will make his appearance. And when he **_**does**_**… well. As so often happens when Voldemort enters the scene; he will take over. From that moment on, he will be very much present in the story, and the consequences will be dire. I assure you he will be perfectly evil! There will be no love, marriage, and/or babies.**

**So as far as the warnings are concerned, the beginning isn't really that bad. There will be sex between minors and some bad language, but that's just about it.**

**Once we get to the chapter where we meet Voldie, though, the story will pretty much turn on its head. There will be extreme violence and controversial sex scenes, and it will no longer be suitable for those who are somewhat queasy or faint-hearted. Let that be a warning! If you don't think you can handle such a thing, don't read. And don't be fooled by the relatively tameness of the early chapters, as it will **_**definitely**_** not stay that way!**

**This is also an extremely **_**long**_** story. Since it is finished, I expect updates to be fairly quick. ****However, I **_**do**_** want to make changes before I post any chapters, so they might not always be as quick as they should. ****This was my first ever story, and therefore there are many things that can use some cleaning up. Right now it is 75 chapters, but that is likely to change.**

**By the way, Sally-Anne Perks is a HP character, albeit a little known one. She was sorted just before Harry in the "Sorcerer's Stone". However, since there is little known about her, I am molding her to suit my own purposes.**

**Thank you for reading this far. And should you decide to continue reading, enjoy!**

* * *

"Perks, Sally-Anne!" the voice of Professor McGonagall had boomed through the Great Hall.

Sally-Anne remembered it as if it had happened only yesterday. It had been the most exciting day in her life; the crown jewel on a short period of time that had been filled with wonder, disbelief, excitement, and, finally, great expectations. Expectations that, unfortunately, had never come to fruition.

It had only been a few short weeks after starting at Hogwarts that she had received the terrible news about the illness of her mother. Her mother had been diagnosed with cancer, and the prognosis had not been good.

Knowing that she would not be able to count on her father, who was a violent and abusive alcoholic, she had made the decision to give up her studies to go home and take care of her sick mother.

It had not been without regret; her time at Hogwarts had been the best of her life. She recalled her turn with the sorting hat; the hat had taken a while. Unlike the experience others seemed to have had with it though, there had been little conversation between her and the hat. It had just been humming a bit, mumbling something about her "interesting" situation. It had mentioned a possible "danger", which it then absolutely and decisively dismissed, and finally it had resolutely shouted out "Ravenclaw" as the house she was to be sorted into.

She had made friends almost immediately; Mandy Brocklehurst and Lisa Turpin were two fellow Ravenclaws with whom she had hit it off. She had learned a lot in her first few weeks, mostly from her two friends who knew all about the world of magic to which Sally had been a total newcomer.

It had been such a surprise for her to find out she was a witch! She had always known there was something "different" about her, but having parents who were not magic at all and had never even known about the existence of a magical world amongst their own, she had been completely ignorant. A lot of that "ignorance", however, had been "fixed" by Mandy and Lisa.

Her life at Hogwarts had been a far cry from her life at home. She was an only child, to the chagrin of her parents. They would have liked to have more children, but it had never happened. As it was, it had taken them many years to conceive her, and then, when she finally turned up, apparently her father had been really upset that she wasn't a boy.

Her father had taken her failure for being a boy very hard, and had lashed out on occasion in attempts to "punish" her for such a "terrible" crime. He had never been successful. Somehow, each time it had been as if some kind of invisible "shield" had appeared that protected her, infuriating her father even more. But there hadn't seemed to be anything he could do about it.

Her mother, unfortunately, had not been so lucky, and had been the frequent recipient of his violent outbursts.

At some point, Sally-Anne had found that if she stayed close to her mother, her protective "shield" would protect her mother too. She had frequently used that to their advantage. However, Sally-Anne could not always stay close to her mother, as she had to attend school. And on numerous occasions, she would come home from school to find her mother with obvious signs of physical abuse.

This was the reason she had initially hesitated to accept her invitation to Hogwarts. But her mother had insisted that she go, and finally, after many late-night discussions on the subject, she had accepted.

Sally-Anne sighed deeply. This was now three years ago; she had taken care of her mother as best as she could in that time. In fact, her contact with the outside world had been practically nil for the whole three years. But it had been to no avail; her mother had passed away last week.

And now she was alone; utterly alone. Not counting, of course, her father. Yes, he was there a lot of the time, but his presence didn't seem to do anything to alleviate her feeling of loneliness. She missed her mother; her wonderful, beautiful, kind and caring mother who had been like an angel to her; the epitome of goodness. She couldn't imagine anyone kinder; she was convinced her mother had not had a bad bone in her body.

She would never see her again. Ever. Sally-Anne shook her head as she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again, like they had now several times each day for the past week. She choked down her sobs as she tried to concentrate on what was coming next instead. Unbeknownst to her, her mother had contacted Albus Dumbledore in the last few weeks of her illness, and had explained Sally-Anne's situation to him.

And so, the day after her mother's funeral, a letter had arrived from Professor Dumbledore inviting her, once again, to join them at Hogwarts.

Sally-Anne picked up the letter from her desk. It hadn't taken her long to accept, since there really was nothing left for her at home anymore; but the excitement she had felt three years earlier was gone. All she wanted now was for her mother to be back with her; she missed her. She missed her so much it hurt! And even the prospect of going back to Hogwarts couldn't take away this all-consuming ache; it felt like her heart had been cut in two, and the better half of it was ripped from her body and buried with her mother; she would never be the same again.


	2. Second Chance

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

Hermione stood at the railway station, waiting for the train to arrive. She was searching her memories for snippets of information about the girl she was supposed to pick up. Her name was Sally-Anne Perks, and she had been informed about her tragic circumstances by Professor Dumbledore himself.

Hermoine was supposed to help this girl with her academics, which was going to be a daunting task since she was three years behind everybody else. She had an awful lot to catch up on, and Hermione had been picked to help her with that.

Since she had started off in the same year as Hermione, Hermione had a vague recollection of the girl. She remembered a scrawny, straw-blonde little girl who had seemed younger than her age. She also remembered round, dark brown eyes that seemed full of wonder and surprise, and apparently delighted in every little magical revelation that came her way. She had been quiet and unassuming, but curious and not exactly shy; she had had many questions in the few classes she had attended.

Hermione was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of the train arriving on the platform. With some feeling of excitement, she scanned the windows for a glimpse of her pupil.

She smiled when she finally found her. She hadn't changed much, other than that she had obviously matured. She was still scrawny, but feminine shapes were now clearly noticeable. Hermione thought she could be very pretty if she were to fill out a little more and the deep, dark circles under her eyes would disappear. Instead, she looked worn and tired.

'Well', she thought to herself, 'that's hardly a surprise, considering the hell she's been through.' And, resolutely, she approached the girl and introduced herself.

Sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, Sally-Anne reflected on her first few months back at Hogwarts. She had once again befriended Lisa and Mandy, but since they had made other friends in the years that Sally-Anne had been absent, she had much less contact with them than she used to. Hermione, on the other hand, she had seen every day as she tutored her in all the subjects she had missed out on for so long. Fortunately, she got on famously with the friendly Gryffindor.

But it had not been easy. She was far, far behind, and was struggling to keep up. Though her sessions with Hermione were very good and informative and she felt she was learning a lot, the actual classes she was taking made little sense to her at the moment. She worked as hard as she could, spending virtually every waking moment studying, but the work was complicated and challenging, and progress in those "real" classes was tedious and slow.

All the extra effort she was putting in was, of course, necessary. But it had also been a blessing! The work had distracted her from the empty feeling she had inside, the ache, the longing, the desire for the so-familiar contact with her mother. And ever so slowly she had been getting used to the feeling of being all alone, and had found herself in a position that allowed her to heal.

In the beginning, she had felt guilty. It didn't feel right for her to feel good, _happy_ even, without her mother. She thought she ought to be grieving more. But she remembered a conversation she had had with her mother shortly before the inevitable happened, in which her mother had insisted she move on as quickly as possible, and ensured her she wanted her to enjoy her life; she had explained that the thought of Sally-Anne being happy was more important to her than anything else.

And so, little by little, Sally-Anne had started to enjoy the experience of studying at Hogwarts once again.

With that had come a different, unfamiliar feeling. There was a boy… one that seemed to make her heart skip every time she laid eyes on him. He was the only boy in the castle that seemed to have that effect on her, and as such it confused her to no end.

He was without a doubt attractive. He also seemed exceptionally popular. She had found out that his name was Draco Malfoy, and that he was a member of Slytherin house. She had never talked to him; that didn't seem wise. Her Ravenclaw friends had warned her about the Slytherins; apparently, they did not like Muggle-Borns, whom they derisively referred to as "Mudbloods".

A Muggle-Born was a witch or wizard whose parents were Muggles. That made Sally-Anne one of them, and thus she was scorned by all Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy.

After finding out this disturbing information, she tried to put him out of her head, but had been only partly successful. At times, she found herself subconsciously staring at him, averting her eyes quickly the moment she realized she was doing it. It made her angry to think she didn't seem to be able to control her thoughts, and she was fighting it all the way. But when she was tired, like she was now, it just seemed so much harder.

"Sally, you look exhausted!" sounded a familiar voice. It was Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw prefect.

Sally-Anne smiled at him. She was getting used to the fact that most people were calling her Sally, as 'Sally-Anne' seemed such a mouthful.

"Yes," she said, "I _am_ tired. It's been a long week! We've had a few quizzes. Most people didn't seem to think they were very hard, but for me…" she sighed.

He smiled sympathetically. "I understand. It's got to be tough being so far behind; every little assignment must be taking you ten times as long since you need to figure out everything that came before it; all the basic stuff that everyone else has known and practiced for years!"

"Exactly," replied Sally. "And now, I'm happy it's weekend, so I can relax a little."

He stared at her with a gleam in his eyes; a look Sally didn't really understand. What was he up to?

"I know something that will make you feel better," he said mysteriously.

Sally raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

When he didn't answer right away, she pressed him. "What do you mean?"

"How about a bath?" he finally replied.

Sally was puzzled. "Yeah, I guess," she said. "Not a bad idea. Maybe I'll do that."

He lowered his voice. "Not just _any_ bath. How about a bath in the prefects' bathroom?"

Sally's eyes opened wide. The _prefects'_ bathroom? Was he serious? She had heard so much about that! It was supposed to be the most awesome bathroom in the universe, but only accessible to… why, prefects, of course!

Upon seeing her surprise, Roger grinned widely at her, and leaned over close. "The password is 'Pine Fresh',"

he whispered in her ear, "Go check it out. I'm pretty sure you'll like it!"

"Are you serious?" Sally asked, in awe.

He nodded, then looked around secretively, after which he placed a finger on his lips, signaling her to keep quiet.

He then winked at her and walked away.


	3. Bubbles and Claims

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

Draco was strolling along towards the prefects' bathroom; he had decided to go for a little soak. Of course he wasn't a prefect, but the Slytherin prefect had been easily convinced at the beginning of his tenure – with the help of some financial encouragement - to let Draco have the password, and Draco had been using the privilege as frequently as he could manage without arousing suspicion.

He was usually extra careful, as he was aware he could just as easily lose the benefit were he to be discovered by any of the other prefects. However, this time he was deep in thought, and as he suddenly heard a noise behind him right after he had entered the bathroom, he leapt into an alcove in the wall on the left. There were large laundry baskets in the alcove, meant to hold dirty towels, behind which he hid himself. He couldn't believe his stupidity when he realized he had forgotten to lock the door behind him! He stared at the door, eager to find out who so rudely had disturbed his plans for the night.

His mouth opened in surprise when he saw who came through the door. It was that Ravenclaw, Sally-Anne Perks! Not entirely sure what to do, he just stood there, staring at her from behind the laundry basket. What was _she_ doing here? She wasn't a prefect either!

The question left his mind as quickly as it entered when she started to take off her clothes. Mesmerized by the sight before him, he could hardly contain himself. Contrary to popular belief, he'd never seen a girl naked, and he felt incapable of averting his eyes.

Sally was thoroughly enjoying herself. After getting undressed, she had been opening all the various taps and played with the bubbles that came out of it. Then, when the novelty was wearing off a bit, she had finally gotten into the tub, immersing herself in the bubbly warmth. She closed her eyes and felt all the tension leave her body; Roger had been right, this was perfect. Sinking in a little deeper, she breathed in the lovely scent of the surrounding bubbles, when she was suddenly aroused from her reverie by a voice, loud and clear, as if it came from someone right there with her in the bathroom.

Her eyes flew open, and with a shock, she saw that the voice came from a young man who was, indeed, in the same room, standing no more than ten feet away from her.

'Draco Malfoy,' she thought, as she took a large breath. What was _he_ doing here? And where did he come from, so suddenly?

"Hello there… Ms. Sally-Anne," he grinned at her. "Enjoying your bath?"

She splashed around, suddenly painfully aware of her nakedness. Desperately trying to cover herself with her hands, she yelled at him, "Draco Malfoy! What are _you_ doing here? _Get out!_ Can't you see I'm _naked_?"

He grinned even wider than before. "Oh yes," he replied. "Fortunately, I'm not blind."

"Then get out!" she yelled again. In the back of her mind she registered that he was barefoot; this little detail somehow surprised her.

"Why? I have already seen you naked anyway. I have observed you for the last half hour or so, from behind those baskets," he responded, pointing at the baskets in the alcove.

She gasped. "Pervert! You pervert!" she choked out, as she inhaled some bathwater in her attempt to sink in as deep as she could.

He seemed highly amused by her desperation, and to her astonishment, he started undressing. "No," he said, "I'd rather think I'll join you. I came in here to have a bath, after all."

With wide open eyes she stared at his now bare chest. "Wha… what!" she stammered. "You are _kidding_, aren't you?"

"No. I'm coming in."

She was stuck for words for a moment, before she said, "Alright. Alright then, you can have it. Just hand me a towel, and I'll be out of your way."

"Go get your own towel, I'm not your servant."

"What? Come on! I don't want you to see me like this!"

" I already have."

"Alright, I don't want you to see me naked _again_! Please, just hand me a towel!"

"No."

"I'll report you!"

"No you won't. You'd get into trouble, you're not supposed to be here."

"I don't care."

He shook his shoulders. "Maybe not. But you'd get Roger into trouble too, and I'm sure you care about that."

"How…how do you know… that…that Roger…"

"Who else would it be? I hardly think Christine would have let you in."

Sally gulped. He was right, she wouldn't want Roger to get in trouble. But what else could she do? Her only option was to make a run for it!

"So what are you going to do, run?" he grinned again, as he sat down on the edge of the bath, dangling his feet in the water.

She stared at him in disbelief, before quickly pulling herself out. However, before she could get to her feet, he pulled her down on the floor by her arm. He leaned over close as he whispered in her ear, "Don't pretend you don't like this; I see you stare at me often enough!"

She blushed scarlet. Oh no, she thought. He'd noticed!

And with that, he pressed his lips on her mouth.

She wanted to push him off. She really did! But somehow, she didn't seem capable. She put her hands on his chest and tightened her muscles against it, but the attempt was feeble and she knew it. She couldn't help it, she was seeing stars! Her heart seemed to be pounding in her chest, and she was surprised the whole school didn't come running by the noise of it. A tickle in her tummy rose up to her chest and took her breath away; his lips were soft and his kiss was tender but passionate, and she was blown away by it.

She groaned softly and, after initially resisting, she soon responded to him. After what seemed to be a too short, but highly enjoyable moment, he pulled away from her.

She opened her eyes, staring into his. They were twinkling; there was no doubt about it. She dropped her gaze slightly and noticed he was smiling broadly.

Suddenly, she realized what was happening; she was back in the real world. She gasped, pushed him off of her and jumped to her feet. She scrambled towards a pile of towels, and couldn't have thrown one on faster than she did.

When she turned around to look at him, he was still sitting in the same position, still with that annoying smile on his face.

"How dare you!" she shrieked at him.

He chuckled. "Oh, come on! You were sooooooo turned on by that!"

"No way!"

He got to his feet and folded his arms across his chest. "Liar…" he grinned.

"Get out!"

"Errr… I believe _you_ were the one leaving?"

"Right. And I will!" She folded her arms across her chest too.

They stood there, staring at each other for a moment; both with an angry look on their face, but his laced with amusement. And it was exactly that amusement that she found so highly annoying.

"You leaving yet? I don't see any movement."

She realized with a shock that he was right. She had been so absorbed by her anger that she hadn't moved. She stared at him for another moment, then uncrossed her arms and stormed off towards her clothes. She swiped them up, then turned to face him again. He'd followed her movement with his eyes.

"Don't look at me! I need to get dressed."

"Who says I _want_ to look at you?"

"I know you do! You looked at me before, didn't you?"

"Yep. Seen it, been there, done it."

She frowned. "You haven't been _anywhere_, and you haven't done _anything_!"

He grinned again. "Didn't I?"

She looked puzzled. "What, one lousy little kiss? And you think you've done it all?"

"Would you like to do more?" His eyes twinkled again and he took a few steps in her direction.

She stuck out her hand. "No! Stop right there! Get away from me!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Fine," he said, and he resolutely turned away from her. He moved back in the direction of the bath.

She stared at him for a little while, expecting him to turn around any moment.

But he didn't. He got into the bath and sat down in it with his back facing her. She felt a twinge of disappointment, but didn't want to show it, so she proceeded to get dressed.

After putting her clothes back on, she was ready to leave, and he hadn't even turned towards her once. "I'm leaving now," she called out to him.

Without turning, his stuck up his hand, as if to let her know he got it.

'Oh,' she thought to herself, 'he was _so_ infuriating!' She put her hands on her hips and turned her legs out slightly. "Oh, really," she said. "You don't even have the decency to tell me goodbye?"

Now he _did_ turn around. Grinning again, he motioned with his finger for her to come to him.

She raised her eyebrows. She was in two minds. She wanted to go to him, yet she didn't. She should really walk away now…

She took a few careful steps towards him.

He put his arms on the side of the bath and rested his head on them, waiting for her to continue.

She moved closer to him, little by little, hesitating at times. When she got close enough, he pulled himself out of the bath and sat on the side. "Hand me a towel will you, Sally-dear?"

She gave him a surprised look. Then her eyes darted over his – naked – body after which she quickly moved away from him, grabbed a towel, and handed it to him. He started to dry himself off, completely ignoring her.

She stared at him as he was drying himself, unable to look away. When he finished, he put the towel around his waist and stretched out his arms towards her. She gave him another puzzled look.

"Come," he said. "I'll give you a goodbye kiss."

Once again, she hesitated.

"Come on, I don't have all day."

Her mind was running in overdrive. There was no doubt, of course, that she liked him. And she had definitely enjoyed kissing him! She had been mostly upset by the fact that they had been naked at the time. Yet, _now_, they weren't. So should she?

Well, why not?

She covered the remainder of the distance between them, and let him sweep her up into another kiss. This time, however, she was completely aware and allowed herself to enjoy it fully.

Half an hour later they were sitting on the floor, chatting and laughing, and all thoughts of leaving had completely left Sally's mind. Draco asked her questions about her life outside of Hogwarts, and she told him all about it. He cracked up about some of the things those "stupid" Muggles did, and Sally was highly amused about the way magic people dealt with their day-to-day business.

Apparently, there is a spell that will remove a person's clothes. It's a really difficult spell, and few people master it. Draco told her his father was capable of performing the spell, and was so angry with a "friend" one day, that he removed the friend's clothes in the middle of Diagon Alley. It was a highly amusing story, and made Sally laugh. She wondered aloud if there wasn't a law of some sort against those kind of things, and Draco explained that indeed there was. It seemed his father had been lucky the "friend" hadn't reported him.

At that point, he stopped talking, and he stared at her with a smile on his face. It puzzled her. "What's up?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That reminded me of something," he replied. "You look amazing when you're naked."

She blushed and averted her eyes. She tried not to smile, but it was hard not to; she loved the compliment, even though he wasn't supposed to see her like that. She glanced at him, "You don't look so bad yourself."

His smile turned broader, and he moved his face towards her until their foreheads touched. He then whispered as if they were in some sort of conspiracy, "Then why don't we get naked again?"

She quickly moved a few inches away from him. "No! I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because…because…" she had to think about it for a moment. "Because… it is _dangerous_!"

He raised his eyebrows. "_Dangerous_? How so? What could possibly happen?"

She studied her fingernails. "You know what can happen. All sorts of things."

He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. "Really?" he said with a grin, "Care to elaborate?"

She giggled nervously, but didn't reply.

He continued to stare into her eyes. "So what if anything happens?" he whispered again. "How bad could it be?"

As Sally looked into his eyes, she felt an extremely pleasant, tingling sensation on her leg; he was stroking it. His words and caresses made her stomach churn; a small groan escaped her throat. "Hmmmm," she uttered, as her eyelids fluttered halfway closed.

He took that as encouragement, and leaned over more, putting an arm around her back laying her gently on the floor. Sally subconsciously wondered why the marble floor didn't feel hard at all, but soft like a pillow. More magic?

After another "magical" kiss, he started pulling on her clothes. She stopped him. "Draco, _no_."

He smiled, put one hand on the floor on each side of her and hovered over her. His expression was caring and kind, which surprised and enthralled her. He waited for a few moments, letting his gaze roam over her body. "What's the problem?" he said finally. "I know you like me."

She tried to sit up a little. "I barely know you."

He shook his shoulders. "A few months…" he chuckled a little, "That should be enough, shouldn't it?"

She widened her eyes. "A few months? Yeah, from a distance! We never spoke a word to each other before!"

He frowned, but continued to smile. "Yeah, and who's fault was _that_?"

"What? Are you suggesting I should have talked to you?"

"Of course! If you like someone, you ought to at least try to talk to him!"

"You weren't talking to _me_ either."

"I wasn't the one who was so _obviously_ interested."

She sat up a little more. "So _you_ are _not_ interested?"

"_Now_ I am," he grinned again.

"Why, that's good to know," she replied, wondering how 'obvious' she really had been. She actually thought she had been pretty discrete; she was surprised he'd noticed. Unless… unless he had been checking her out a little more than… maybe he should have? A smile returned to her face. "You wouldn't have noticed me checking you out unless you were interested yourself," she announced, summarizing her thoughts for him.

He didn't lose his smile and bit his bottom lip. "Maybe," he said mysteriously. "Anyway… how about it? Show me yours and I'll show you mine."

She laughed at him. "Really? You think that still works at our age?"

"How old are you, eighty?"

She laughed even more. His hands circled around her waist, and she could feel him making his way upwards, slowly pulling her shirt with him as he went along. Her heart started pounding again. What he was suggesting sounded so very, very wrong, and yet so very appealing… it was driving her crazy! She wanted him. Oh, she wanted him, so bad! All her nerve endings seemed to be standing on end, and an exciting, churning sort of feeling was twirling around in her stomach. 'Butterflies,' she thought. So _that's_ what that felt like… what a great feeling! It was overpowering, and seemed to numb her brain. All rational thought was flying out of the window, and in a rush of excitement she put up her arms, making it easy for him to pull her shirt off, which he promptly did.

Her bra came off seconds later, and when it landed on the floor next to them, he stared from her face to her breasts and back again, gently reaching out to touch her. His fingers twirled around her nipples, after which he suddenly pulled her close to him and hugged her tight. "So beautiful…" he mumbled.

She swallowed hard. "I… I…" she started stammering.

He stroked her hair, then gently pulled away from her, letting his hand move tenderly over her cheek. "Yes, sweetie pie?" he said as he gazed into her eyes, his breaths coming out in short bursts.

"I… I haven't… I don't…"

He narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess… never done this before?"

She shook her head. Her hands were shaking a little; she was nervous.

He continued to gaze into her eyes, smiling broadly. "Me neither," he finally said. "So don't worry… we can figure it all out together."

She gasped in surprise, but was overwhelmed as he suddenly pulled her back into a hug, tightening his arms around her, taking her breath away.

She was swept up in the passion of the moment, not thinking, barely breathing. In the back of her mind she knew what she was doing was wrong, but she pushed the thought back even further, as if it was something that could be dealt with later. Her hands twisted through his hair and her body was arching towards him. And even though this was all so new to her, it felt so natural; like it was the most normal thing to do, as normal as brushing your teeth before bed.

His hands were now moving all over her body. Her brain was so clouded, that she didn't even realize all other clothing had come off too, and soon she felt a shockwave running through her as his fingers touched an oh-so private spot between her legs. She gasped, and her head rolled back. "Oh!" she cried out. Next, she felt something hard press against her belly, and suddenly it dawned on her what was about to happen, and a wave of panic went through her. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness," she cried out. "What are we doing, Draco?"

"Shhhh," he whispered, as he kissed her gently on her lips. "Don't worry, I've got it all under control."

"Under control?" she said as she shook her head. "What are you talking about, Draco?"

He gave her a smile that made her body feel like melting ice under a hot midsummer sun. 'OMG,' she thought to herself. He was so… irresistible!

As she let herself float away on a cloud again, she once again felt him touch her between her legs. This time, she didn't protest, and she felt herself spinning out of control, holding on to him tightly as she could feel a climax approaching. When it came, it felt like an explosion in her body, and waves of pleasure rippled through her, reaching from her core to the ultimate extremities in her toes and fingertips. She cried out loud and moaned heavily. Her eyes fogged over as she gazed at him, whispering his name.

"How was that?" he whispered, with a smirk on his face.

It took her a while to get her breath back. When she finally recovered, her eyes focused again and fixated upon him. "More!" she breathed. "More, Draco! Please!"

Surprised at first, he recovered quickly, and obliged happily. Sally was hardly aware what was happening anymore. The pleasure was so intense, it overpowered everything else, and all her barriers were lost. She had orgasm after orgasm, until Draco finally, with an exhausted look on his face, sighed, "Are you done yet?"

She smiled happily. "Yes," she declared. "Yes, I think I've had just about enough now."

Seemingly relieved, he let himself fall down on his back. "Good! I need to relax for a moment."

Sally leaned over him and kissed him softly on his lips. She was very grateful to him for making her feel so good, and was eager to return the favor. "Would you, er… would you like me to…" She blushed as she glanced at him.

"Yes!" he cried out. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"You don't even know what I was going to suggest!"

"Whatever it is, I'm _fine_ with it," he replied.

She giggled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" he said. "Now get on with it, please!"

Then she started trailing kisses from his neck downwards.

"Hmmmmm," he moaned.

She trailed her tongue around his nipples, then worked her way further down. She started kissing his belly button while moving her nails around and around over his belly.

"Ahhhh, yes, keep going," he groaned.

She did. Her nails went further down, and moved over his hips. She carefully avoided the center. He twitched, but didn't say anything. Then she started from the other direction and moved her fingers from his thighs upwards. Once again he twitched. She stroked the inside of his thighs, going as far as she could without actually touching anything private.

"Ahhhhh! You're torturing me, aren't you!" he exclaimed, finally.

She giggled. She carefully peeked at his erection. Then she stuck out her tongue and touched just the tip of it with it. He gasped and jumped at the same time.

"Urghhhhh!" he cried out. "Do you…do you have any idea what that does to me?"

"No?" she said questioningly.

"Never mind!" he said. "Keep going!"

She did. She finally moved her fingers up to the place where he obviously wanted to be touched, and moved her tongue all around him. He breathed deeply as she was caressing him. Until he suddenly sat up and pushed her onto her back. He climbed on top of her.

"Enough. That's enough! You keep that up and I'm not going to last a minute longer…" Then, whispering softly, he said, "Sally?"

"Yes?" she replied, in an equally soft voice.

"I want you," he whispered. "_Now_."

She took a deep breath.

"Please," he pleaded. "Please, Sally, I need to have you!"

She didn't say anything, just stared at him. He moved his legs in between hers. She could feel his erection pressing against her leg. He put his hand between her legs and pushed two fingers deep inside her. She gasped. She was wet. Wet and ready. He moved his fingers around a little, then withdrew them somewhat. And as he withdrew his fingers, he moved his hips toward hers.

She closed her eyes and swallowed. Excitement was bubbling up inside her, and the only thing on her mind at that very moment was that she wanted _him_ too, and she made no effort to resist. Her body relaxed against him, giving him silent permission to continue.

She felt the pain when he entered her. He withdrew slightly, then pushed forward again, putting all his bodyweight behind it, wrapping his arms around her as he did so. She gasped. He groaned as her resistance broke. It hurt a _lot_, and the pain caused tears to appear in her eyes.

He stopped moving momentarily and looked at her, concern etched on his face. He kissed away her tears. "Sweetie," he whispered, "are you alright?'

She gulped, and nodded slowly. She smiled wryly. "Yes," she whispered back. "It just…it just hurts…"

He hugged her tight and waited, giving her body the chance to adept itself to him. Then he started moving again, but slowly, gently, taking care not to hurt her too much.

Sally took a deep breath and smiled bravely at him, which he appeared to be taking as a sign to speed up a little more. Then, as he started moving rhythmically inside her, the pain ebbed away, and the excitement and pleasure she had felt before, returned. She felt herself starting to move with him, matching his thrusts, moaning in pleasure.

Then, suddenly, her whole body seemed to melt into another release as the waves started rippling through her again. He groaned loudly as he released only seconds later.

"Ahhh, Sally," he whispered, "Sweet Sally-Anne…" He sighed deeply. He stayed on top of her for quite some time afterwards. Then he rolled off of her and picked up his wand. He muttered an incantation as he moved the wand over her.

"What…what are you doing?" she muttered, surprised.

He grinned. "I'm claiming you."

"You're _what_?"

"I'm claiming you. You know, the claim spell?" He frowned. "You've never heard of it?"

"No! What is it?"

He sighed, and it almost seemed to her as if he was somewhat irritated that she didn't know. "When a girl loses her virginity, a guy has a short amount of time afterwards to 'claim' her. It means she cannot be touched by anyone else unless the spell is removed."

"How is the spell removed?"

"Either he or she must do the counter spell. It's a pretty simple spell, just about anyone can learn it."

"If it can be removed so easily, then what is the point?"

"The point is that removal of the spell is felt by both, no matter where they are. Even if they are miles apart! Usually, if the girl removes the spell at any one time, she is in for some trouble." He grinned. "Of course it doesn't necessarily mean she's going to have sex with someone else. Sometimes girls take it off just to upset their boyfriends. But most of the time it _is_ because they want to do 'it' with someone else."

He now stared at her sternly. "Sally-Anne," he said in a strict voice. "You are now _mine_. You better remember that! And whatever the reason, if you ever take off this spell, you _will_ be in trouble. _And_ whoever is with you at the time!" He smiled happily. "Understand?"

"Er…," she said, feeling shocked at this sudden outburst. "I…I think so!"

"Good!" he said. "Well, I think we can get dressed now then." He bent over to her, gave her a quick kiss on her mouth, then got up and started to get dressed. She got up and did the same. When she was dressed, she walked back over to him.

"Isn't there a similar spell for boys?" she asked.

He laughed out loud now. "Of course not, silly! Why would we want _that_?" With that, he took her in his arms and gave her one more, long, long kiss. They walked to the exit, but before he opened the door, he said, "Oh, er…, Sally?"

"Yes?" she said.

"Not a word about this, to anybody. Okay?"

She hesitated. "Oh…okay," she finally replied.

He then opened the door, gave her a last, quick kiss on her forehead, and walked off.


	4. Nobody is Perfect

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

As Sally was walking back to her common room, she wasn't sure how she felt. On the one hand, she felt great! She had just spent a wonderful evening with a boy she had up till now only dreamed of before. On the other hand, she was highly embarrassed. And as she was walking back, it was that last feeling that became more and more pronounced.

It became so strong even, that by the time she got to her destination, it had turned to complete and utter panic. It was quite late, and she really wasn't even supposed to be out in the hallways at this time. However, she managed to get back unseen, but was spotted by Roger the minute she arrived in the common room.

"Hey Sally," he said. Glancing at the clock, he raised his eyebrows. "You've sure been a _while_! Did you have fun?"

She nodded and smiled, although she wasn't exactly feeling very cheerful anymore. "It was _great_, Roger. Thank you so much!" She did her very best to hide her feelings of discomfort.

"Anytime, sweetheart," he said as he winked conspiratorially at her.

Sally immediately went upstairs to her dormitory. There, she lay on her bed thinking. Right now, she was feeling like a total and utter fool. How could she have been so stupid! What had she done! She had given herself up, just like that! And… all the way, too! With someone she had never even talked to before! She must have suffered from temporary insanity or something! She felt like she was going to cry.

And he had told her not to tell anyone. Of course she didn't want to tell anyone, she was _way_ too embarrassed about it! But the fact that he had said that was a clear sign that he didn't actually _want_ her.

Hadn't her friends warned her that Slytherins didn't care for Muggle-borns? He obviously wasn't her boyfriend, nor would he _ever_ be. Yet she had done everything under the sun with him! She was an idiot! A stupid idiot, and a slut to boot. She pulled her curtains shut and started to sob quietly into her pillow.

Draco, on the other hand, felt like the king of the castle. He couldn't believe his luck, as he was walking back to his common room. Did all that _really_ just happen? He was wearing a grin from ear to ear, and hesitated before going in. It would look very suspicious if he came in like that, and he didn't want anyone to know. Well he would tell a _few_ people of course, but certainly not everybody! He had to control himself and hide his glee. Fortunately, he was very good at hiding his emotions; he'd had plenty of practice at that. So his face was inscrutable when he entered.

"Hey Malfoy; where've _you_ been, all night?" someone asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "Since when do I tell people where I go?" he replied, and walked straight down to his dormitory. There he found Blaise Zabini, lying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Malfoy," Blaise mumbled. "Had a good evening?"

"Better than yours, I'm sure," Draco replied as he walked over and lay down on his bed.

"Better than mine?" Blaise said, sounding surprised. "I can hardly believe _that_! What have you been up to, then? Got your first snog at last?"

"I got more than _that_," said Draco, with a devious smile.

Blaise sat up. "Did you? You finally decided to have a go at Parkinson? How was it? How far did you get?"

"Not Parkinson. Someone else."

"Then who?" Blaise said, clearly curious.

Draco didn't say anything, just stared at the ceiling with a smirk on his face.

Blaise sat up straighter. "Hey, come on! What's with the secrecy? Who did you hook up with? Spill the beans, buddy! Out with it!"

Draco sat up now too. "Why don't you take a guess? I'll give you a hint… _Ravenclaw_."

Blaise frowned. "_Ravenclaw_? What are you on about? You don't talk to any Ravenclaw girls!"

"Why, is that a requirement?" he chuckled.

Blaise stared at him for a moment. "Hmpf," he finally mumbled. "It was probably an ugly one then. Certainly not anyone like that hot new girl… er… what's her name."

"Sally-Anne Perks," Draco replied with a broad grin.

Blaise picked up on that right away, and stared open-mouthed at Draco, who in turn had started chuckling. Blaise chucked a pillow at him in the end. "Ahh, you piece of dragon dung! You think I'm stupid? You don't fool _me_! No _way_ was it her!"

Draco gave him another smug look.

Blaise's eyes opened wider. "Get out of here! You _didn't_, did you?"

Draco sat down and leaned back on his pillows. "Sure did!" he exclaimed, as he let out a satisfied sigh.

Blaise had now gotten to his feet. "You're lying! You bloody liar! There's no way you could have!"

"And why not, pray tell?" Draco said, raising his eyebrows. "She likes me!"

"She _likes_ you? She likes _you_? Why the heck would she like _you_? And _what_, exactly, did you _do_?"

"Hmmm," he said, sitting up a little straighter. "Interesting question. Let me put it this way; you're no longer ahead of me, buddy." He looked extremely smug as he said this.

"WHAT! You _fucked_ her? You _fucked_ Sally-Anne Perks?"

"Shhhhhh! Keep your voice down! The whole world doesn't need to know! She's a _Mudblood_, remember. Think of my reputation!"

"To hell with the rest of the world and the whole Mudblood thing! Who cares! How the _hell_ did you manage _that_?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he said, leaning back again.

Blaise sat down. "I don't believe you," he said. "You're making it up. You _have_ to be. Why would she pick _you_? _You_, when she could have, for example, someone as gorgeous as me? You're lying through your teeth! You _are_, aren't you? You're just winding me up!"

Draco laughed. He was _really_ enjoying this. "Wanna bet?"

"How would you prove it?"

"Ask her."

"No way."

"Trust me, I did! She was fantastic. Best ever! Not that I have anything to compare with, but you know what I mean."

"Was she a virgin?"

"Yes."

Blaise squinted. "So, did you claim her then?"

"Of course."

"Hmm, in that case…I should be able to find out if you're telling the truth," he grinned.

"You stay away from her," Draco sat up straight, no longer smiling now. "She's mine!"

"But she's a filthy Mudblood, remember?"

"Yeah well. That's why you're keeping this to yourself."

"Hypocrite."

Draco shrugged. "Oh well. Nobody is perfect."

Draco wasted no time telling Crabbe and Goyle, who were equally impressed. But he made them swear they wouldn't tell anyone. He was far from thrilled about the fact that she was a Muggle-born, but there was nothing he could do about that. He had no plans to give up on her, since he had enjoyed his encounter with her much, much more than he would ever care to admit to anyone. But he shuddered to think of the flack he would get if it came out. Plus if it did, that would probably be the end of it! So he would have to do all he could to keep it a secret.

He pondered for a while about where to go next. Obviously, they couldn't keep meeting in the bathroom. He had to come up with something better, something more comfortable, more confidential, more luxurious, more his style!

Then he remembered something his dad had told him. Something about a room on the seventh floor. Yes, the Room of Requirement, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy! He sat up. That was it, it was perfect! The room would turn into whatever it was they needed. And nobody else would be able to enter it!

Now he just needed some sort of plan to let _her_ know about it without anyone else finding out. He felt great as he lay back down; he was happy, satisfied, and looking forward to what seemed to him a _very_ bright future.


	5. The Room of Requirement

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The next morning at breakfast Sally sneaked a look at the Slytherin table. But as she had already expected, Draco didn't cast a single glance her way. And as she was walking out into the entrance hall with her friends, he and the other Slytherins walked straight past them without even acknowledging her existence.

Although…was she imagining things, or did Blaise Zabini give her a cheeky kind of smile?

It must have been her imagination, as only a second later he was ignoring her, just like the rest of them.

Anyway, she resigned herself to the fact that Draco didn't really want to know her, and followed her friends to the Ravenclaw common room, where she probably would be spending the rest of the day studying (since it was Saturday).

However, later in the day when they were on their way to lunch something unexpected happened. As they were walking through the entrance hall, Crabbe and Goyle seem to come running out of nowhere. Goyle crashed into her and knocked her off her feet, falling over himself as he did so. As they were lying on the floor, he whispered something to her.

"What?" she whispered back.

"Meet Malfoy at 2, 7th floor near Barnabas's tapestry," she made out. He glanced at her as he helped her get up. "Okay?" he said, as he looked sternly at her, in such a way as to make it look to others like he was inquiring about her well-being since he had just knocked her to the ground.

She nodded, to indicate that she had understood.

"Those brutes!" one of Sally's friends said. "They never look where they're going! Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Sally said, smiling. In fact, she was more fine now than she had been _before_ he'd run into her, she thought happily to herself.

After lunch she went up to her room. She went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. She wasn't exactly pleased with what she saw! Her clothes were worn and tattered. But they were all she had. When she got back to Hogwarts after her three-year break, she had received some second hand school robes from the staff, and her friends had given her some old hand-me-downs for casual wear. But none of it was particularly nice. Most of it didn't fit well, and all of it was old.

Nothing to be done about it, she'd just have to make do. She saw some make-up lying around in the bathroom and decided to use a little of her friends' eye make-up. Not too much, she didn't want to look _too_ different. She brushed her hair and went back to the dormitory.

She felt strange, somehow. She looked at her hands. She was shaking! Nerves! She was nervous! Her breathing came fast and shallow. She was assuming he wanted to meet her because he wanted to see her. But what if that _wasn't_ the reason?

What if…he just wanted to talk to her? Maybe he was worried about contraception (thinking about that, _she_ was kind of worried about that too). Or worse! Maybe he was just playing a trick on her. Maybe he wasn't even going to be there! Maybe he'd be hiding somewhere and have a laugh with his friends, as she stood there, waiting.

She was starting to feel sick. But she swallowed hard, picked up her courage and walked out of the common room, on her way to the seventh floor. She would just leave if she didn't see him there right away.

But her fears were alleviated as she approached the particular tapestry, and she saw him waiting beside it. She smiled. At least he was there! She wondered why he wanted to meet her _here_, of all places. What was so special about this tapestry? There was a door just opposite the tapestry, which she had never seen there before. Well, she thought, she must have missed it. It's not as if she was here that often. The hallway was kind of out of the way.

Draco smiled as he spotted her. "Well hello there, princess!" he exclaimed happily.

Then he took her hand and led her through the door opposite. Her mouth fell open in amazement, as she stepped through the doorway. It was a bedroom. A magnificent bedroom! In the center was a huge four poster bed, with fluffy pillows and invitingly soft, light green, silk bed sheets. There was a dim light in the room and a nice fragrance hung around, while soft music was playing in the background. There was a door in the wall on one side of the bed, and a shelf with small potion bottles on the wall on the other side.

"WOW!" she exclaimed. "I never knew this room was here!" She looked sideways at him.

He grinned happily. "It's the Room of Requirement," he said. "It turns into whatever you need it for. It _does_ look nice, doesn't it?"

"Whatever you need it for?" she wondered out loud. She looked at the bed, then back at him. "Right," she said, a look of comprehension on her face.

He laughed. "Well what did you expect?" He grabbed her by the arm. "Here, come over here first," he said, as he pulled her over to the shelf with potion bottles. "Take one of these. That should take care of yesterday as well." He handed her one of the bottles and took the cork off for her.

"What is this?"

He looked at her with surprise. "Why, a contraceptive potion, of course!" he said.

She looked at it with wonder. It seemed like you could take care of just about anything with magic! She drained the little bottle, without thinking anything more of it. The last thing she needed was to get pregnant. When she finished with the bottle, he took her in his arms and kissed her. Long and hard. In the meantime, his hands were all over her, working feverishly to try and get her clothes off as fast as possible. She smiled. It was okay! He _did_ actually want her! It hadn't just been a little adventure for him. She sighed.

"What's up," he asked.

"You, I think," she said, smiling cheekily.

He grinned at her. "Yeah, you got _that_ right! Want to help me do something about it?"

She giggled as she started undoing the buttons on his shirt. Once again, he was gentle and caring. Maybe even more so than the day before. At first it was pretty quick, as he seemed desperate, and over-excited. But after that he took her hand and led her through the door in the other wall. There was a small bathroom with a shower.

He pulled her in the shower with him, and as the water came pounding down on them, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. The hot water on her skin combined with his hot kisses made her feel warm and relaxed all over, and she leaned into him with her eyes closed, as her body temperature was slowly rising.

As they finally pulled away from each other, she opened her eyes somewhat, and through all the wetness around her she saw him. His eyes half-closed, staring at her with a look that seemed to burn through her skin, making her shiver with excitement. He was _so_ gorgeous, so absolutely irresistible, as drops of water fell from his platinum hair onto his face, making his pale skin glisten and shine. His hair, wet and sticky, gave him such an incredibly sexy appearance that she didn't think she could stand it.

She felt lucky. Really! How lucky could she possibly be? He was amazing! He made her feel like a queen! She knew she would go to the ends of the world for him. Her blood started to boil, and she thought she would burn up with desire.

"Draco," she whispered.

He laughed softly. Then he started kissing her neck. She moaned, letting her head fall backwards to give him better access, bumping it on the wall, but not feeling the pain, and not caring. She was breathing in short and shallow breaths. Her skin was tingling where his touches radiated throughout her body.

Then he pulled away from her for a moment. She felt the loss and moaned her displeasure, until he put his hands on her, smooth and soft…and she gasped when he rubbed them over her nipples. Round and round…so gentle, with so much feeling…

As she looked down at his hands, foam was appearing all around them. She smiled softly at him, and he smiled back, as he continued on, rubbing soap all over her body, making her sigh with pleasure.

When he was done, she gave him the same treatment, rubbing soap all over _his_ body. The expression on his face combined with the noises he was making, were her greatest reward. She slowly rubbed him down, and when she reached his cock she noticed he was hard as a rock. She touched it softly as she stared into his eyes, after which he put an arm around her and gently pulled her close.

He kissed her again, fighting with her tongue, exploring her mouth. She leaned back and felt the hot shower water leaking from his face onto her, dripping onto her lips. She opened her mouth to lick it off and he used the opportunity to suck on her bottom lip, letting his teeth scrape against it. All the while she continued rubbing soap on his erection, and he groaned into her mouth.

Soon, they were no longer able to control themselves. Sally giggled as they practically ran out of the shower, and, still dripping wet, dived onto the bed.

Draco started leaning down on her and softly kissed her between her legs. The feeling was incredible. Using his tongue, he made her come to the height of ecstasy many, many times. She made sure to return the favor afterwards. They didn't seem to be able to get enough of each other, and in no time at all it was dinner time. Reluctantly, they got dressed and left, but not until they'd arranged another meeting for the day after.

The room became their regular meeting place. On school days, they'd usually meet there right after classes had ended for the day. Previously, that had been the time she'd meet up with Hermione, but Sally had made up some excuse for her as to why she no longer could study with her at those times. However, she didn't tell her Ravenclaw friends about this, as it provided an excellent excuse as to why she would not be in the common room after classes had ended.

In weekends, they would often meet up and stay for _hours_. She managed to find excuses most of the time, but found she had much less time for catching up. She was still making progress, however, but at a significantly slower pace. She didn't mind, it was worth it to her. She loved every minute of the time she spent with Draco, and wouldn't miss it for the world. She was as happy as she could possibly be!


	6. Christmas Time

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: The next chapter after this one is called "The Purity of Blood", and from then on the story will get a little less sugary (promise).**

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Christmas break was rapidly approaching, and Draco had been making plans. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Sally. However, this year, because of the Triwizard Tournament, there was a Yule Ball on Christmas Day. But since there was no way Draco could go with Sally, he had no intention of going at all. Nor would she, naturally.

He had to spend some time during the Christmas break at Malfoy Manor, and as an excuse for not having to go to the Ball, he had decided to go there on Christmas morning and stay until the next day. But that was it, the only day he intended to be away from his girlfriend (which is how he liked to think of Sally now, even though they weren't openly dating).

He wanted his time with Sally to be spectacular. As far as he was concerned, the more sex, the better, so he was planning for the most inconspicuous way to accomplish that.

He'd decided that they would stay at the Leaky Cauldron near Diagon Alley during the break before Christmas day. Christmas was on a Thursday, so that would give them five days/six nights if they left on the Friday night before. McGonagall usually let students use the fireplace in her office for the Christmas break. Sally could go back to Hogwarts on Christmas day morning, and he would go straight home from there. Then the next day he'd come back to Hogwarts.

They would have to be a little more careful at Hogwarts, so as not to arouse suspicion, but in the Leaky Cauldron they would have all the time they wanted. They would have to have separate rooms, of course, but the way he'd planned it, she just wouldn't be spending much time in hers (he sniggered). They could even go shopping for a bit on occasion (in disguise). Goodness knows she needed some stuff. She was practically always in the same shabby clothes! He'd been buying her a few things by mail order since he started seeing her (mostly sexy underwear), but this would definitely be better.

Sally was extremely excited about it when he told her about the plan. At first she complained that she couldn't afford to stay in a room in the Leaky Cauldron, which was absolutely ridiculous. _Obviously_ he'd give her the money to pay for it. Then she'd actually infuriated him by saying she didn't want to accept any money from him. She had changed her mind quickly, though, when she'd seen how angry that got him. Fancy messing up his plans for something as trivial as money!

His parents also didn't seem to have any problems with him staying near Diagon Alley to do some Christmas shopping, although they really preferred him to stay home longer after Christmas. He'd told them some of his friends were staying at Hogwarts and he wanted to spend some time with them. They seemed to be okay with that. So, everything was looking good and they were all set to go.

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Finally it was the Friday night before Christmas. Sally was really excited! Most of her friends would go home over the break, and originally she'd thought she would be spending the whole break at Hogwarts, but as it turned out, she wouldn't. She packed some of her things in the small bag she had arrived at Hogwarts with and was ready to go.

She knew Draco would be going around 4:30 pm., so she had to wait at least a half hour after that so as not to arouse suspicion. After all, they were going to the same place. Not that there was much chance of anybody ever getting suspicious. She and Draco Malfoy were such an unexpected combination that people would be inclined to match her up with just about anybody rather than him. But just in case.

About five o'clock she arrived at Professor McGonagall's office. Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows when Sally arrived. "You're going somewhere, Ms. Perks?" she said, surprised.

"Yes," Sally said happily. "I'm meeting a cousin of mine in London, just outside the Leaky Cauldron!" She grabbed some Floo powder and flung it into the fire. As the fire turned green, she bravely stepped in it. She started choking right away.

"Don't breathe through your mouth," she heard McGonagall say.

She coughed, said, "The Leaky Cauldron!" and whirled away with tears in her eyes.

She flew out at the other side and landed hard on her butt. She picked herself up off the floor and rubbed her backside. She was also covered in soot. She decided she didn't like traveling by Floo powder much. But then again, maybe she just had to get used to it. It _was_ pretty convenient after all! She walked up to the barman and told him she'd reserved a room by owl. He checked something and slammed a key on the bar.

"Don't expect much," he said. It's our cheapest room, after all. You'll have to go out in the hallway to use the bathroom. Top floor. Got any luggage?"

"Yeah," she said. "But nothing I can't carry myself. Thanks anyway, though!"

She ascended the steps up to the top floor. An arrow pointed left to her room. She went right. She knocked on a door at the end of the hallway. Draco opened and she went inside quickly. His room was _really_ nice. It actually consisted of a few rooms, a small kitchen and a nice bathroom.

"Nice!" she said, appreciative.

"It's okay," Draco said. "It's the best they have, we always stay in this one. It's not great, though. But it'll do. Did you even go and check out yours?"

"No," she said.

"You're right," he said. "What's the point, there's no need for you to go there at all. I wouldn't recommend it anyway, it's probably disgusting," he shrugged.

Sally laughed. He smiled at her, and pulled her into a hug.

The next five days were wonderful. They enjoyed each other as much as they could, and had a lot of fun shopping in their disguises. He spoiled her and bought her a ton of stuff. She now had a trunk, loaded with brand new clothes and some new school robes. She got some jewelry too, shoes, and even some make-up.

Christmas morning she got a present. It was a beautiful golden bracelet set with little green stones in between the links. She was upset that she didn't have anything to give to _him_.

"Ahh, but you do!" he responded.

He proceeded to explain to her exactly what he wanted. She smiled, and obliged happily.

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When she got back to Hogwarts that day, Professor McGonagall seemed surprised to see her come back with so much stuff. She explained that her cousin was pretty well off, and bought her all of it for Christmas. To her relief, Professor McGonagall didn't seem to press the matter any further, although Sally had the feeling she wasn't entirely convinced.

When she got back to her common room, she found all her friends present. They were chatting and happy and clearly highly excited.

"Sally! You're back! How was your trip? Did you see your cousin?" asked her friend Lisa.

Sally nodded happily. "Sure did!" she said "We had a great time!"

"Wow, Sally, you have a new trunk!" exclaimed Mandy.

"And you're wearing new clothes!" added Lisa.

Sally blushed. "Yes," she said. "My cousin bought me all of that. For Christmas, he said. And since he hadn't been able to give me any Christmas presents for _years_ now, he bought me a ton."

The girls crowded around her, feeling the soft fabric of her new robes, and begging her to show them the rest, all of it eliciting gasps and exclamations. They were clearly impressed.

"Your cousin must be pretty well-off," Mandy said. "What does he look like? Is he good-looking?"

"Oh yes," Sally grinned. "He's gorgeous!"

"Ohhh," said Mandy. "Can you introduce me to him?"

"Maybe, one day," Sally said with a smile.

Sally's friends had all come back for the Yule Ball, though, and soon started getting ready. They were surprised Sally didn't want to go, and begged and pleaded for her to join them. But she was not to be persuaded. She had made up her mind, she told them. She was going to stay in, reading some books, and doing some studying.

Once they had all gone to the Yule Ball, Sally was bored. She couldn't wait to see Draco again the next day so she went to sleep early, and eagerly awaited his arrival the next morning.

However, he did not turn up at all that day. Neither did he turn up the day after that. In fact, he didn't come back at all for the rest of the break!

She was worried, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do but wait.


	7. The Purity of Blood

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Alex, thank you so much for your review! And ohhhh, you are so right! Stupid mistake! Thank you for pointing it out, I fixed it right away.**

**And yes, I am following canon time-line in this story. Everything will start going to the wolves even _before_ Voldy turns up, but it certainly won't get better when he finally gets there! Hehe… :)**

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Sunday night before school started again, most people came back. But not Draco Malfoy. Sally was getting really concerned now. Monday morning before breakfast she saw him standing amongst a group of Slytherins in the entrance hall. She smiled to herself. He was okay! She guessed something must have come up for him not to have come back sooner! But he was back now and that was really all that mattered.

But then she spotted Pansy Parkinson standing next to him, giggling, laughing. He was laughing too, put his arm around her and kissed her on the cheek. Sally stopped abruptly and stared at them in shock.

"Ouch," one of her friends said as she bumped into her. "What's up with you?"

Sally tore her eyes away. "Nothing," she said, "I…I thought I saw someone. Never mind."

She didn't eat anything at breakfast. What was going on? There had to be some logical explanation for this! It couldn't possibly be what it looked like! She was getting hyped up about nothing. She would find out what the problem was soon, and then everything would be just fine again. She just had to be patient!

But it _wasn't_ fine.

By the time lunch was served, everybody knew that Draco Malfoy had a girlfriend. Pansy Parkinson. And rumor was, that they were doing..._it_. And not only that…it turned out he had come back to Hogwarts on Christmas evening, and attended the Yule Ball. With her!

He had been back. And he hadn't told her! He hadn't even let her know he was back! And then, as sneakily as he had arrived, he had departed, too, as the next morning he had left Hogwarts again.

Sally was panicking. She had to talk to him. Had to find out what was going on, find out if the rumors were true. Problem was that she had to catch him alone. She knew Crabbe and Goyle knew about him and her, so as long as she could find him without anyone but those two around, she could talk. She had to talk to him. She had to! There _had_ to be an explanation! He liked her, she knew he did. A lot, in fact! There must be something else going on, and she just _had_ to find out what it was!

She wasn't sure how she managed to get through her classes the rest of the day. Her inattentiveness had not gone unnoticed, and earned her a frown from quite a few of the teachers. She had managed to appease them by claiming she didn't feel so well. And that wasn't exactly a lie either.

After school that day she went up to the 7th floor, as she used to do before the Christmas break. Her legs were wobbly and she was surprised she could actually stand on them. She thought they might give up any time now, and she'd crash to the floor. She was shaking like a leaf. But he would be there! She was sure of it! He would be there, waiting for her as usual.

When she got to the tapestry, he was _not_ there. This wasn't actually that unusual, since a lot of the time, he'd be waiting for her inside the room. But there was no door today! No door and no room! Desperate, she moved her hands over the blank wall. Where was that stupid door? Why wasn't it here? It _had_ to be here, it had to be! He liked her, he wanted her, he _needed_ her. He _had_ to be here! Somewhere! If only she could get to that room! She started banging the walls with her fists, and pushing it. But nothing happened. No door appeared.

She was hot and felt like her face was burning. She talked to herself and tried to calm down. He was just late, that was all. She was just going to wait right here until he turned up.

But in her heart, she knew he wouldn't. She waited, waited and waited, until darkness fell outside. And then she still waited. But no one appeared. She didn't actually expect him to turn up anymore, but just couldn't think of anything else to do. Until finally, she had to give up, and slowly walked back to her common room, her head down and defeated.

She didn't actually get the opportunity to talk to him until lunch time the next day. She saw Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walking towards an otherwise deserted hallway after lunch, and quickly followed, making sure she was not seen. They were hanging out next to a classroom.

"Draco!" she called out as she got closer to them.

All three of them looked up. Draco took a step towards her. "It's _Malfoy_," he said, sounding irritated.

Her heart sank. "I…can I talk to you for a minute?" she stammered.

He took another couple of steps towards her. He was now standing less than a foot away. He looked her straight into her eyes, a frown creasing his forehead.

"I don't talk to _Mudbloods_."

With that, he walked right past her. Crabbe and Goyle followed him out of the hallway.

She didn't know exactly how long she stood there. It felt like forever, but it was probably no more than a few minutes. She was shaking. She felt sick. She was going to throw up. She ran. She ran as fast as she could, as far away from the direction they'd gone in, as she could. When she finally spotted a bathroom, she ran into it, locked herself in one of the stools, and burst into tears. She cried and cried until she thought she had no more tears left. Then she choked, and threw up.

When she was finally able to think again, she realized she had been in the bathroom so long, that everybody must be in class by now. She could leave the bathroom and go to her common room. And so she did. As she walked through the castle she was struggling to control her tears. Once she got into her dormitory, she let them go freely again. She alternated between crying and throwing up for the rest of the afternoon. When her friends came back from their classes, they all immediately assumed she was badly ill, and told her to go see Madam Pomfrey. She refused, saying she'd be alright, she just needed some time. She was afraid Madam Pomfrey would guess what was wrong with her, so she stayed, and was violently sick several times throughout the rest of the night.

Sally remained locked up in her dormitory for the rest of the week. She did not eat. She was still throwing up, although nothing much came out anymore since there was nothing left in her stomach. Her friends begged her to go see Madam Pomfrey, but still she refused. When they were around they forced her to drink water, since she seemed to be badly dehydrating and they feared for her life. Sally didn't care. Maybe she should just die. That way, the pain would finally stop.

----------

When Draco had come back home to Malfoy Manor on Christmas day he hadn't exactly gotten the reception he had expected. His mother and father were both waiting for him, looking livid. The word _Mudblood_ had fallen within seconds of his arrival. They'd known. Somehow, they had gotten word of their endeavors in the Leaky Cauldron and their disguised shopping trips, and they were less than pleased.

That day, instead of the usual happy Christmas day in which he'd be spoiled with all kinds of amazing and unusually expensive presents, the day was filled with screaming matches and speeches. He preferred the screaming. At least he could tune that out. The speeches were getting on his nerves, having to stand there and listen about all the evil ways of Mudbloods, the same stuff he'd been hearing his whole life, and how he was disgracing the family by being involved with one. There was little he could do or say. He knew no better, he'd grown up learning that Mudbloods were the scum of the earth, so he had no retort, other than to say that he just "liked her", which seemed like a pretty feeble excuse.

Then sometime in the afternoon his father had called him into his study. "You _do_ know that what you've been doing is wrong, don't you, Draco?" his father had said.

"Yes, father," he'd said.

"Obviously you can't go back to school until your classes start again."

"Yes, I understand that."

"And you mustn't see her anymore."

He hadn't answered. His face had gone dark. He knew that's what his father wanted, but _he_ didn't. He couldn't stand the thought of not being able to see her anymore. Never to kiss those soft, luscious lips. Never to touch her smooth skin, never to be able to look at her beautiful naked body. Never to feel her touch on his skin, never to smell her again, and, most of all, never to be able to enjoy those special sensations with her anymore! He shuddered. He couldn't possibly agree to this. He wanted her, he _needed_ her!

His father had studied his face and frowned. "I know what you're thinking, Draco," he'd said.

He'd looked up at him, surprised. "You do?"

"Yes," his father had said.

"You don't want to give her up, do you?"

"I don't."

"I understand." His father had sighed deeply. "You're 14 years old, and you're having sex for the very first time. Of course you don't want to give that up."

Draco had looked at his father suspiciously, wondering where this was going.

"You have to understand, boy, that that's what it is. Sex. Nothing more, nothing less. It may _seem_ to you like you have feelings for this particular girl. You don't! It's just that you have had your first experience with her, therefore you associate the feeling of sex with _her_!"

His father had paused there, looking hard into his eyes. "However, you're wrong. You can have those feelings with others. All you need to do is find yourself a different girl. A decent one, one of your own standing and heritage, a pure-blood! One who likes you, and is willing to do the same things with you as this unworthy Mudblood."

He'd continued to look at his father, unconvinced.

"Now, I have heard you speak about such a girl before. Pansy Parkinson. I believe you like her, don't you?"

"Yes, I like her. But…"

"She's a pure-blood, from a very respectable family. She's very pretty, and you'd make a great match with her. And I happen to know that she likes _you_ too!"

He'd started to feel anger bubbling up in him at this point in time. He didn't like the thought of his father picking his mate for him. Yes, he liked Pansy. She was okay. But she was no Sally! He didn't feel for her the way he felt for Sally. There was no excitement, no burning desire associated with Pansy. It was more...more like a friendship. He felt for her the way he felt about Crabbe, or Goyle. And as far as her looks were concerned…she was pretty, that was true. But she was nowhere _near_ as beautiful as Sally was. There was just no comparison!

"I can see I haven't convinced you," his father had said, "But you have to give her a chance. I have invited the Parkinsons over to spend the rest of the Christmas break here." Draco had been shocked at this bit of information. His father had smiled. "I'm expecting you to spend as much time as you can with young Ms. Parkinson. Make her feel at home. Treat her well. You'll most likely find her very…agreeable, to whatever you might like to do with her." He'd given him an all-knowing smile.

Draco had still been upset, which had shown clearly in his face. "Draco," his father had then said. "I am _expecting_ you to give her a chance. I am _expecting_ you to romance this wonderful young lady. Don't let me down! You will see that I am right. As soon as she will let you have her, you will see this Mudblood _whore_ is not the only one who can give you these feelings that you crave so much! Trust me. It'll be better than ever, and you will have forgotten about Sally Perks before you know it. Do you understand me Draco?"

He'd known his father meant it, and there was no way out for him. He had to oblige. "Yes, father," he'd said. And he'd gone upstairs to his room and waited with a heavy heart.

The Parkinsons had arrived shortly after that, and his father had insisted he'd take Pansy back to Hogwarts, and attend the Yule Ball with her. He was to come back home with her in the morning. And like a good son, he had done exactly what his dad had told him to do.

The week had crept by. He had done everything that was expected of him. He'd romanced Pansy, and his father had been right in assuming that she was more than willing. He'd kissed her, and then he'd fucked her. His father had been delighted! He had tried to explain to his father that it just hadn't been the same, but he was far from interested. He'd told him that it was only the beginning, and that it would get better as they got to know each other better, and that was the end of the conversation. He wouldn't hear any more of it.

On the Sunday night before the start of school, when the Parkinsons had finally left, his father had called him into his study again. He'd been pleased with the 'progress' that was made that week, but there were still a few issues that needed to be sorted out. Once back at Hogwarts, he would have to break up with Sally. His father had explained to him that it was important to make sure he would not be alone with her, at any time. And to make sure that she wouldn't try whatever she could to win him back, he _had_ to be rude. As rude as possible, so she'd get the message immediately, and would leave him alone.

He had promised his father he would. He wanted to be a good son, and he _knew_ that Mudbloods were bad and beneath him, after all. He just couldn't help feeling sick to his stomach about the task he now had to perform.

But he had to, and he knew he would. He'd just have to prepare himself, and practice exactly _what_ he was going to say, and _how_. And most of all, he had to hide how he _really_ felt. But he knew he excelled at that! And he was clinging to his father's promise that sex with Pansy would eventually be at least as good as it had been with Sally. After all, his father had a lot more experience than he had.

And so he'd come to call Sally a Mudblood. That was what he had planned to do all along, he knew that would hurt her, and that _was_, after all, the reason why he broke up with her. He hadn't been looking forward to it, and was happy when it was finally over and done with. But for some reason he still had this nagging feeling of loss and guilt inside him.

Eventually, he managed to ignore those feelings, and push them away to the back of his brain. He tried as hard as he could not to think about it, or about Sally, and how she must be feeling right now.

It hadn't escaped him either that she had been missing class for the rest of the week. After all, they had some classes with the Ravenclaws, twice a week. In addition, she had not been at a single meal since. He tried not to think about it; instead he concentrated on his studies, and fucked Pansy as much as he could. He found that keeping his mind and his cock occupied appeared to be the best way to avoid those depressing thoughts he had every now and then.

He had run into a few unexpected obstacles too. Crabbe and Goyle for example had really seemed surprised to find him dating Pansy. They had said very little about it, but the looks they gave him had been more than enough. And of course they had witnessed his actual break-up with Sally. Right after that Crabbe had shook his head at him and wondered out loud how the heck he'd possibly managed to say those words to her.

"Yeah," Goyle had said. "One look in those eyes and I would have been lost. Wow, man! You're stronger than I thought!"

Goyle had smiled at him as he said that, as if it was an amazing feat that he, Draco, had accomplished, one he should be proud off! But for some reason their reaction had only made him feel worse. Anyway, no use brooding on that for too long, it was done now. Over.

At least, that's what he thought.

A few days after his break-up, he found himself in the hallways when Blaise came charging up to him.

"Hey Malfoy," Blaise said, with his familiar smirk on his face. "I got to have a word with you, privately."

They went around the corner, and then Draco found Blaise staring at him, grinning broadly. "I heard from Crabbe and Goyle that you broke up with Perks, is that true?" he asked.

Draco nodded.

"Great!" Blaise said. "So she's available now then, right?"

Draco stared at him. 'Shit,' he thought. This wasn't really something he'd accounted for.

"Stay away from her, Zabini," he said, with a stern look on his face.

Blaise stopped grinning and raised his eyebrows. "What the heck?" he said. "You just said you broke up with her. And besides, you're with little Miss Parkinson now, aren't you? Personally I don't see why you'd swap a diamond for a piece of glass, but, er…, well that's up to you. But I can't see how you can stop people, _me_ in particular," he grinned as he said that last bit, "from pursuing Perks. That's no longer your business now, is it?"

Draco found himself seething with anger at Blaise's words, although he wasn't quite sure exactly _what_ part of Blaise's tirade upset him that much.

"Watch your mouth, Zabini!" he exclaimed. "And yes, it _is_ still my business! Don't forget I still have a claim on her!"

"Well, that can be corrected easily enough," said Blaise, sneering. "By the way, don't you have _two_ claims now?"

"Yes, so?" Draco snapped at him. He had indeed claimed Pansy too.

Blaise grinned again. "You _do_ know you won't be able to tell _which_ one's being removed then, when one of them is?"

Draco gritted his teeth. Yes, he _was_ aware of that, but he failed to see its significance. "Whatever," he said. "If I feel _anything_, Zabini, I'll come find you. You'll be dead."

"Hmmm," he said, frowning. "You're expecting me to keep Pansy in line for you too, then?"

He looked sharply at Blaise. He did have a point. He'd claimed Pansy more because it would have been expected of him rather than anything else. He didn't really care that much about what _she_ would be doing. There was always the chance that she one day… But he would know then, wouldn't he? Pansy wouldn't just go ahead and take off his claim without having a good reason to do so, would she?

"I'll know," he replied. "Don't you worry, Zabini, I'll know when to come find you!"

As he was walking away, something Zabini had said kept popping into his thoughts. _I don't see why you'd swap a diamond for a piece of glass._ And he couldn't help wondering if he had.


	8. The Unexpected Visit

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Over the weekend, Sally had an unexpected visitor. Hermione.

"What's up with you?" Hermione inquired.

"I don't feel so well," Sally replied, in a soft whisper.

"No, _that_ is pretty obvious," Hermione said. She looked at her sharply. "This doesn't have anything to do with you skiving off our lessons, does it?"

Sally did not reply. She hated Hermione for her perceptiveness at the moment. She was _way_ too smart! And the last thing she wanted right now was to confide in anyone, since it would mean she'd have to confess to what got her into this precarious situation in the first place. And Hermione was unlikely to be sympathetic with her choice of mate. She'd probably feel that Sally should have seen this coming, right from the start, Draco being what he is. And since Sally didn't need any 'you-should-have-known-better' speeches, she chose to remain silent.

Hermione waited, seemingly to see if a confession would start spilling from her lips. When it didn't come, she shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, Sally, you can't keep this up. Life goes on, you know. It's still worth living, even if you might not think it is. You have so much to live for! You're doing really well, you've come a long way in your studies. I admit we were probably going a little _too_ fast, leaving you absolutely no time for any enjoyment, and maybe we should slow down the pace a bit. But we definitely should pick up _some_ of our study sessions again! You'll feel better, you'll see! You'll have a goal. Your mother would have been _so_ proud, if you managed to complete your school, even though you've had such a big delay. Don't you think? Wouldn't she have hated to see you give up? Do you think she would have wanted to see you end up like this?"

Hermione sighed. "You are a great girl, Sally. And one day, perhaps soon, you will find a great guy who will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You'll be happy again, and then you'll see, when you think back you'll be glad you didn't let this situation get you down. And until _that_ happens, you have friends who care about you. Don't let _us_ down!"

Sally stared at Hermione, stunned. How much did she know? And _how_ did she know all that? She seemed to have a complete handle on the situation! Everybody else thought she was genuinely ill, just stubborn. And here was Hermione, hitting the nail on the head!

"Think about it," said Hermione. "Please, for me, okay? I miss you. And if you need me, at any time, please let me know. I'll always do all I can to help you!"

She grabbed Sally's hand and squeezed it lightly. Sally nodded imperceptibly, gazing out into space.

That seemed to satisfy Hermione, and she got up and left, smiling encouragingly.

Sally thought about Hermione's words for a long time. She expected that Hermione was guessing, but her guesses were pretty accurate. And without knowing any details, she had known exactly what to say to get Sally thinking. She was so smart, that Hermione, it was almost unreal. And she was right! So right! She couldn't give up now! She couldn't let her life be ruined by a guy! She was pretty enough to find a new one.

Not that she wanted one. Ugh, the thought alone made her want to puke again. But maybe that would change one day. And until then… Well she wanted to be a full-blown witch, didn't she? She would show Mr. Draco Malfoy that she didn't need _him_ in her life to be happy. She was in charge of her own destiny, after all! She would do it for Hermione, and for her other friends.

And with that, she started to nibble on some of the crackers that her Ravenclaw friends had left out for her in the hope that she'd start eating again.


	9. Slytherins and Potions

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally decided she was going to start her classes again after the weekend. Her friends were elated when she told them she'd join them for breakfast in the Great Hall. She was still weak and far from happy. But she had made her decision and was determined. So on Monday morning she followed her friends out towards the Great Hall.

As soon as she set foot in the entrance hall, a cheery voice called out to her.

"Heyyyy, look who's back in the land of the living! Miss Sally Perks! How do you do!" Blaise Zabini strolled over to her, grinning broadly.

Sally stared at him, her eyes wide in surprise. She wasn't the only one who was surprised. Her friends stared at him too, and there were some puzzled looks from the Slytherins, who were grouped together on the other side of the entrance hall. Once he'd gotten to the place where Sally stood rooted to the spot, he put an arm around her, and started pulling her away.

"Alright, beautiful. Come with uncle Blaise for a bit. Let's have a little chat, okay?"

Stunned, she went along with him, sneaking a glance towards Draco. She was so discrete, however, that practically nobody noticed. Nobody except Blaise. "Don't you look at that jerk!" he whispered in her ear.

As she looked around at him, shocked, he winked at her. "Merlin," she thought to herself. "Did he _know_?"

He guided her towards another hallway. As he walked past the Slytherins, Draco threw a poisonous look at him behind Sally's back. Blaise just sniggered and kept going. He took her to a deserted classroom where he promptly rounded on her.

"I know what's going on with you," he started.

"You do?" she replied, perplexed.

"Yes," he continued. "I know why you were out last week." He grinned. She just stared at him. How much did he know? She felt overwhelmed by his assertiveness, and a little scared. She knew about his reputation. "Don't worry," he said, correctly interpreting her shiftiness. "I'm not going to hurt you. I know that none of your friends know that you had a relationship with Malfoy and that he dumped you last week. So you have no one to talk to about it. You probably feel pretty bad right now, and I'm sure you could use a shoulder to cry on. I just wanted to let you know you can use mine if you want."

He grinned at her again. "Anytime you want," he said. "Seriously! If you want to talk about it, or if you just need someone to stay with you, I'll be there, just call me!"

She looked at him, unsure what to think. "Wow, er…, thanks, Zabini," she said.

"Call me Blaise," he said. "Please. And, er…, I'm not like Malfoy. I have no problem being 'seen' with you. So don't ever worry about that, okay? Come see me whenever you please!" He winked at her again. "Now, we better get back before they're going to start rumors about us."

Sally thought it was probably too late for that already, but she walked back to the entrance hall with him anyway. When they got there, almost everyone had gone into the Great Hall for breakfast. Everyone, except for three boys, who were leaning against the wall next to the hallway they came out of. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Just as they got to the doors of the Great Hall, Draco called on Blaise. He looked livid.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart," Blaise said to Sally, as he turned to face Draco.

Sally went inside to join her friends at the Ravenclaw table, wondering what _that_ was all about now.

----------

"What the heck," Draco spat at Blaise, "do _you_ think you are doing."

Blaise frowned. "That," he said, "is none of your business."

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?"

"Since when do I take orders from you?"

Draco gave him an icy cold stare. "You're on dangerous territory, Zabini. I'd watch my step if I were you."

"I'll keep that in mind," Blaise sneered, turning his back and walking through the doors of the Great Hall to sit at the Slytherin table.

Draco glared after him, a look of utter loathing on his face. "Git," he said.

Crabbe and Goyle looked at him in disbelief. "Why do you even care?" said Goyle, screwing up his forehead as he said so.

Draco turned around to face him. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then thought better of it. He resolutely closed his mouth and strode into the Great Hall, towards the Slytherin table, but as far away from Blaise as he possibly could.

----------

Sally's Ravenclaw friends were beside themselves with curiosity and excitement.

"Sally?" Mandy said, inquiringly.

Sally chuckled. "What?" she said. She was definitely starting to feel better.

"Zabini," Mandy replied. "What was that all about? What did he want?"

"Just…finding out how I was feeling, since I'd been sick." she replied with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah, right!" Mandy said again. "As if! This is _Zabini_ we're talking about! And, er…, he's a Slytherin, by the way. You _do_ know they have something against Muggle-borns, don't you?"

"Yeah," Sally sighed. "I _am_ aware of that." Was she ever! "He seems very nice, though," she said.

"Yes, of course he does!" Mandy replied sarcastically. "He can be _very_ charming!"

"Be careful, Sally," said Lisa. "He could really hurt you."

No more than she already was, Sally thought. She actually felt pretty safe. She knew she would never feel for anyone the way she felt about Draco, anyway. So where was the danger? She shrugged her shoulders, and attacked her food. She was ravenous.

----------

Pansy was excited about something too. Halfway through breakfast she went over to Draco. "Draco, did you see that, earlier?" she giggled.

"What," snapped Draco, thinking he knew what she was referring to.

She obviously hadn't caught his irritation, and continued, still giggling, "Zabini! He's going for that Ravenclaw Mudblood, Sally Perks!"

He gave her an infuriated look. "And you think that's funny, Pansy?"

Catching his mood now, she looked at him, puzzled. She was no longer giggling. "What do you mean?" she inquired, a little apprehensive.

"She's a _Mudblood_, Pansy, a _Mudblood_!" he exclaimed. "Do you want to see one of our friends involved with scum like that?"

"Well, er…," she hesitated.

"Use your brains for a change, Pansy," he said. "Before you know it, she'll be sitting at our table. Would you like her to sit next to you? Would you like to hear all the Muggle-crap she'll be coming out with?"

"I…I guess not," she stammered.

"Then shut _up_ and go back to your girlfriends!" he snarled.

Pansy looked put out as she turned around and left, dropping down next to her girlfriends, a miserable look on her face.

----------

Sally was in for another surprise that day, since they had Potions with the Slytherins later on. Snape announced at the start of the class that he wanted everyone to work in pairs for that period. Usually, when that happened, Blaise would pair up with Draco. However, today Blaise approached _her_.

"Do you want to pair up?" he said.

Sally smiled. "Sure!" she said, and he joined her.

She could hear Draco scoff behind her. She knew that Blaise was _excellent_ at potions. Apparently, he was helpful, too. With her being probably around beginning of second year level, she needed all the help she could get. In addition, he had a great sense of humor, and made her giggle a lot. Usually, Snape had little patience with Sally since she was so far behind, which made the lessons pretty much unbearable for her. Today, however, she found she was actually enjoying the lesson for the first time since she had started potions classes.

----------

Draco in the meantime, was getting angrier and angrier. He had ended up pairing with Pansy, and he was particularly short with her, blaming her for everything that was going wrong with the potion they were preparing. Not that she didn't do anything wrong, but she wasn't entirely to blame; he was making plenty of mistakes himself. And Potions was normally his best subject, too! He found he just couldn't concentrate properly at the moment. And it was all because of those two! Their stupid laughter and giggles were extremely distracting to him. Pansy had noticed his continued glances towards Blaise and Sally, and his obviously increasing irritation with them.

"Draco, you worry too much," she whispered soothingly, "Why don't you give Zabini a break? It's not as if he's going to marry her, is it? He probably just wants to fuck her, that's all!"

With a loud bang he smacked his Potions book on the table. He looked at her, his eyes cold as ice. "Don't worry? Don't worry?" he said, his voice slightly above a whisper, but increasing in volume as he continued, "he's supposed to be my friend! He should not be hanging out with that _filthy Mudblood slut_!"

The class fell silent. Just about everybody had heard what he had just said. Sally froze, and dropped her spoon into her cauldron. Then she gasped, as she hid her face in her hands and ran out the door. Within seconds, Blaise got up too.

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy!" he hissed at him as he strode out of the door after Sally.

Nobody spoke as all eyes were on Draco, who actually smirked a little now, as if he had just told the class a good joke.

"Well," Snape said, "Entertaining as that may have been, I _do_ expect everyone to return their full attention to their potions once again." Some of the Slytherins sniggered at this, but everyone turned back to their work.

Pansy laughed softly. "Oh, Draco," she said, whispering again. "You can be so funny sometimes! A slut! The girl is _frigid_, for goodness sake!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of _that_," Draco whispered back, apparently in a slightly better mood. "Do _you_ know what she's been doing before she came to Hogwarts? I bet she isn't even a virgin anymore!" He chuckled as he uttered this last sentence.

Pansy shrugged her shoulders, still smiling. "Well," she said. "I am sure Zabini will find out, sooner or later."

Draco turned back to their cauldron, carefully hiding his face, since he knew it must clearly be showing that he no longer felt amused.

----------

Sally stood crying in the hallway when Blaise came up to her. "Stop that, silly!" he said to her with a smile, as he put an arm around her. "That's no way to handle Malfoy! You're actually making him happy, with a reaction like that." She looked at him through her tears, surprise etched on her face. He used his free hand to wipe away the tears, then said, "Listen, you've got to go back in."

"I…I can't!" she stammered, wondering how he could possibly ask such a thing of her. "I…I can't face him like this!"

"No, not like this, of course," he said. "You're going to have to be a little stronger." He grinned at her. "You're going to have to go back in and sneer at him."

"What?" she said, incredulously.

"Sneer," he said again. "I know, I know, you've probably never done that. Nice girls usually don't. I'm going to have to teach you."

He smiled, and spent the next few minutes instructing her how to 'sneer'. He then made her practice, which she thought was highly amusing, and she giggled as she was following his instructions.

"There," he said. "At least I've made you laugh again!" She looked at him and smiled. He really _was_ very nice! "I think you're ready," he announced. "Let's go!"

He walked her to the door and waited for her to open it. She'd have to go in first. As soon as she walked in, all eyes were on her, including Draco's. She stared at him, and gave him her first ever 'sneer.' The look of surprise on his face told her she'd managed to do it, and she turned happily back to Blaise, who gave her a wink and a smile. They then went back to their cauldron to finish their potion.

"Would you care to explain why you left my class, Ms. Perks?" said Snape.

"Er…, I had something in my eye, sir! Blaise helped me with it and I'm okay now," she responded, a little annoyed since Snape knew perfectly well why she had left.

"Next time, please ask for permission first. I'm going to have to take 15 points from Ravenclaw, Ms. Perks, for the interruption of my class," Snape said. "Don't let it happen again, or I shall have to give you detention."

Sally was _really_ annoyed now about the unfairness of Snape's punishment; she was pretty sure Draco didn't have any points taken away. But there was nothing she could do about it, so she and Blaise went back to work.

By the end of the class everyone walked up to Snape's desk to hand in their potions. Upon receiving Draco's potion, Snape said, "Disappointing, Mr. Malfoy. Not up to your usual standards, I'm afraid."

Sally smiled inwardly, as she proudly handed Snape their bottle with a perfect potion inside. Snape looked at the potion in his hand. "Perfect," he said. "Mr. Zabini once again performed an excellent job. Let's see, 20 points for Slytherin, I think."

She gave him an appalled look. What about her? She had worked on it too!

Snape looked at her. "Ms. Perks," he said. "You don't actually expect me to believe that the fact that this potion is perfect, is in any way due to your contribution to it?"

Blaise walked up to the desk. "Actually, sir," he said, "She _did_ do a lot of the work!"

Snape looked at him indignantly. "Fine!" he spat. "_Five_ points for Ravenclaw then. For having the good fortune to be working with someone who knows what he's doing!"

Sally smiled. Well she had earned at least some of the points back that she had lost. She still thought he was being unfair, but she guessed that that was as good as could be expected from Snape. They packed up their stuff and walked out. She whispered a thank you to Blaise, then joined her friends as they walked along to their next class.

For the remainder of the week Sally spent quite a bit more time with Blaise. He was everything he'd promised her he would be, and more. She felt like she had gained a friend, someone she could trust. Not only could she talk to him about her failed relationship with Draco, he also made her laugh and protected her from Draco's taunts. He helped her with just about anything she needed help with. Yet, he didn't seem to expect anything in return! He never even tried to kiss her, and she was immensely relieved about that. She certainly wasn't ready for _that_. But she very much enjoyed his company and friendship. And she found the pain of her break-up infinitely easier to bear with his support.

----------

Blaise on the other hand, wasn't anywhere near as innocent as he made her believe. He certainly was working towards a certain 'goal'. However, he was far from stupid and realized he had to earn her trust first. In addition, he knew she would not be open to any of his advances while her mind was still on Draco, so he waited patiently for the right time.

He _did_, however, at some point approach the subject of her 'claim'. He knew he would have to get her to get rid of that, at some point. He was trying to bring it across as if it would be a good way to piss Draco off and have a little bit of revenge. And of course he would be able to explain to her exactly how to do it. He made sure to not push the subject too eagerly though, lest she might think he was hoping for some benefit for himself sometime. Unfortunately, she had not taken the bait. Not _yet_, at least, he thought to himself.

----------

Draco was far from enjoying this particular week of his life. He knew what Blaise was doing all too well, and it scared him more than he would have thought possible. Being with Pansy wasn't anything he hoped it would be, and he knew now his relationship with her could never match the relationship he'd had with Sally. And the whole situation infuriated him. Fortunately, he'd been hugely successful in passing off his anger as a general loathing for Mudbloods, but he knew better himself. Yet, there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do, except for continuing his efforts to try and dissuade Blaise, which he knew to be a lost cause.

By the weekend, it became general knowledge that Sally and Blaise were 'going out', and neither Sally nor Blaise did anything to quash that sentiment. It therefore didn't surprise anybody when Blaise came to the Ravenclaw table after lunch on Saturday to collect her. A few minutes later the two of them sat under a tree on the grounds. Sally now felt so comfortable with Blaise that she openly chatted with him about her break-up.

"If only I could have talked to him," she sighed. "He never even explained what happened, and I still don't understand. It seemed like such a huge turnaround! If only I had a better explanation, I would probably feel much better, and would have an easier time dealing with it. But for some reason he just doesn't seem to want to be alone with me!"

Blaise stared at her. An idea came to him, something that was sure to gain him her trust, and might make it easier for her to get over Draco. Besides, he was really starting to like her and the feeling of doing something for her that would make her happy appealed to him.

"It can be done," he said. "I can help you with that."

It was Sally's turn to stare. "You can?" she responded, looking at him in awe.

Blaise proceeded to explain to her what needed to be done, and so it was decided. They would do it that very same evening.


	10. Confrontation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Draco wasn't particularly looking forward to Saturday night. It had been a disastrous week and he didn't expect this evening to be much better. Pansy had wanted him to spend the evening with her, but he had declined. He didn't think fucking Pansy would make him feel any better. He hadn't fucked her at all this week, and he didn't intend to do so tonight, either. She would have to wait.

He hadn't eaten much during dinner, mostly just played with his food a bit. He wasn't in the mood for food. In fact, he was generally not in the mood for anything, so he supposed he would just go to bed early.

After dinner, as he was walking out into the entrance hall with Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise approached him.

"We need to talk," he said.

Draco looked at him with disdain, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Talk about what?" he said. "I don't believe I have anything to say to you."

"Don't be a git, Malfoy," Blaise said. "Just come with me."

Draco just stood there for a moment, wondering what Blaise was up to. But his curiosity got the better of him, and he followed, motioning for Crabbe and Goyle to stay behind.

Blaise led him to a broom cupboard in a lesser-used part of the castle, and opened the door.

"After you," he said, as he held the door open for him.

Draco was still suspicious, but he wasn't afraid of Blaise, and really did wonder what this was all about, so he entered the cramped space full of cleaning supplies and rags. It was pitch black in there. The door slammed shut behind him. He turned around to see in surprise that Blaise had _not_ followed him inside.

He tried the door and discovered it was locked. He scoffed. That obviously wasn't going to stop him! He put his hand inside his cloak and reached for the pocket where he normally kept his wand.

But it wasn't there.

What the hell? He must have nicked it off of him earlier, perhaps during dinner, or maybe even before that! He pounded the door with his fists.

"Zabini!" he shouted. "Open the door!"

"He can't hear you," said a voice from deeper into the closet, as a dim light switched on. "There's a silencing charm on the door."

Draco turned, looking astonished. He had recognized the voice and was now staring at the same person who'd been causing him all this grief this week; Sally Perks.

-----------

Sally gave him a weak smile. She was nervous, and trembled slightly. She had no clue how this was going to pan out. She supposed he would be angry. But how much? Would she be able to talk to him? Would he tell her what she wanted to know?

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Draco just stood there, staring at her. What was _she_ doing here? Of all the things he would have expected to find here, _she_ certainly wasn't one of them. What did she want? He took a step closer towards her.

Then all the memories of the times he had spent alone with her came flooding back to him. Instinctively, he reached out to take her into his arms.

"Sally," he whispered, overwhelmed by passion and desire.

"I…what?" Sally stuttered.

But her words failed her as he pressed his mouth on hers and kissed her hard. His hands moved feverishly over her body as he gently pushed her against a wall.

"Sally, Sally," he breathed, as he started trailing kisses from her mouth down towards her neck, practically ripping off her cloak and throwing it down in a heap.

His hands had now moved on to the buttons of her shirt, and had started undoing them with amazing speed, almost desperate.

Sally took a deep breath. "Stop!" she shouted. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

Her shout brought him back to his senses. Right, what _was_ he doing? He knew what he _wanted_ to do. But should he? He knew he shouldn't. But what the heck, she was here, she was beautiful, and there was no doubt that he wanted her.

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?" he grinned at her.

"I thought you didn't talk to Mudbloods!" she complained, repeating his break-up line back at him.

"Well," he said, "I _would_ rather _not_ talk!"

She scoffed at him.

He looked at her, bemused.

"If you think that I'm going to let you do anything like _that_, then you're out of your mind!" she said.

"Well then, what am I doing here?" he asked, clearly disappointed.

She stared intently at him before inquiring softly, "Why?"

He raised his eyebrows, waiting for more.

"Why did you drop me the way you did?" she elaborated.

He still didn't answer.

Tears started filling her eyes. "Did you realize that the time leading up to this last Christmas was the best time of my life?" she said. "And… and _you_ enjoyed it too, I know you did!"

"Of course I did," he said, affronted by the insinuation that he could possibly not have enjoyed the time he spent with her.

"Then why? Why did you have to end it the way you did? Couldn't you have at least told me what happened, why you didn't want to be with me anymore?"

"I did," he said simply.

She looked at him, surprised. Then she said, "No you didn't! You said you didn't want to talk to me!"

"I said I didn't talk to _Mudbloods_."

She looked at him quizzically. "You broke up with me _because_ I'm a Muggle-born?"

"Yes."

"That didn't seem to bother you that much before."

"It did. You must have noticed that hardly anybody knew about us because of that?"

She stared at him. "So that's it? That's the only reason? There's nothing else?"

He was getting annoyed now. Wasn't it obvious? "What other reason could there _possibly_ be? Don't you think I wished there was something else? It would have made it so much easier for me!"

"_Easier for you?_" she shot at him, astonished.

He just stared at her.

She swallowed. "I want you to take it off," she said.

He looked at her, nonplussed. Take off _what_? What was she talking about?

"That claim," she elaborated.

His eyes narrowed. Then he smirked, and said, "Yeah, right. Like that's going to happen. Not bloody likely!"

She shrugged. "I guess I'll have to do it myself then."

"You _do_ remember what I've told you about that, don't you?" he said, as he gritted his teeth.

"Yes," she said, "But clearly, since we're no longer together, you can't _possibly_ still mean that!"

"I do!" he said, an alarming look in his eyes.

There was no way he could ever make good on his promise to her for taking off the claim, but there was no need for her to know that. The thought of her being with someone else drove him wild, he couldn't _stand_ it. He would tell her whatever he needed to, to prevent that from happening.

He grabbed both of her arms, roughly, and pulled her towards him. He looked down at her, his nose almost touching hers.

"You're mine, Sally. Always! I want you to always be mine, for as long as you live, no matter _what_ happens. Do you understand?"

She returned his icily cold stare. "That seems awfully unfair to me," she said.

"I don't care," he said, "That's the way it's going to have to be."

He relaxed his grip, and started rubbing her arms. "Sally," he said, much softer now, "You have absolutely _no_ idea how much I wished you were a pure-blood. Or a half-blood, even. I'd give anything!"

He paused a moment. "Let me have you, Sally, please, I want you more than you can possibly imagine. Just this once! One last time!" he said with a pleading look on his face.

----------

Sally was astounded by his arrogance. How could he possibly ask this of her?

"You're out of your mind!" she exclaimed, as she pushed him away and reached for her wand. She gave him one last look as she used her wand to open the door, and left, throwing the door shut behind her.

"How did _that_ go," said Blaise calmly, as she stood there, exasperated, breathing hard, her cheeks flushed.

"The…the bastard!" she stammered. "He actually wanted to…wanted to…" she was blushing profusely now.

Blaise laughed. "Did he now," he said. Then he paused for a second. He looked as if a sudden thought had occurred to him. He gave her Draco's wand. "Here," he said. "Go back in, return his wand to him, and then give him what he wants."

"What!" she replied, thunderstruck, her eyes opened wide.

"Trust me", he said, "Go. Quick, before he comes out!"

She gave him one last perplexed look, then rushed back inside and slammed the door shut behind her again. Draco was just reaching for the doorknob, and found her blocking his way. He looked at her, puzzled.

"I…I have your wand," she said, smiling shakily, holding it out for him.

"Thanks," he replied, taking the wand and putting it away.

He stared at her. "You're kind of…in my way," he said.

She made no attempt to move. He raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't you, er…, want something from me?" she said.

"Yeah," he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "But I could have sworn you weren't interested!"

"I changed my mind!" she said quickly.

He looked puzzled. "Did you now," he said, glancing around him as if he expected something to jump out at him. He stared at her for a few seconds. Then he seemed to have come to a decision.

"Come over here," he called out to her. And as she moved over to his side, he cast a spell on the door. He smirked at her. "There," he said. "Alohamora won't work on it now. We should have all the privacy we need!"

He then proceeded to take her in his arms, and continued where he'd left off earlier that night.

----------

"You better have a good explanation for this," Sally said to Blaise, much, much later.

He grinned at her. "Did you have fun?"

She gave him an icy look.

"Aw, come on," he said, "You can't tell me that you didn't!"

"Alright, I did!" she responded. "But _why_?"

"Believe me, I _do_ have a reason," he said. "I just can't tell you what it is right now."

She looked puzzled.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," he said, smiling as he rubbed her head. "Just trust me. You do, don't you?"

She nodded. Yes, she _did_ trust him. But she couldn't help feeling thoroughly confused.

When Sally got back to her common room, she had a happy glow on her face, which was by many incorrectly assumed to have something to do with Blaise.

She made no effort to correct them.


	11. Slytherin Antics

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Draco Malfoy entered the Slytherin common room in an extremely good mood. He strolled over to a comfortable seat near the fire and just hung out on it. There, he dwelled on all the events that had taken place that evening. It had been good. No, correction, it had been great! He kept replaying all the details in his head, savoring them. He was perfectly happy, for the first time since he had broken up with Sally. The common room was quite busy. However, he instinctively turned around when he heard someone enter. He smiled broadly when he saw who it was.

"Zabini!" he called out. "Come here, friend! Hang out with me for a bit!"

Some puzzled looks were thrown their way, since they'd hardly been friendly lately. But Blaise grinned as he came over and grabbed a chair near Draco.

"Did you have a good evening, Malfoy?" Blaise asked.

"Very." Draco replied with a smirk. "I believe _you_ may have lost your girlfriend, though."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Blaise said, smiling mysteriously.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "You _do_ know what we did in that closet, don't you?" he said.

"Of course I do," said Blaise. "I told her to!"

"You WHAT?"

"Why do you think she changed her mind so suddenly?" Blaise said. It was his turn to smirk.

Draco stared at him, a stunned expression on his face.

Blaise shrugged. "She needed a good fuck," he said, still smiling. "And so did you!"

Draco kept staring at him. Then he leaned back. "Well, I guess I owe you one in that case," he said.

"You _sure_ do!" Blaise said, sharply. "And you better remember that!"

He turned around to where a group of Slytherin girls were sitting, chatting happily. "Hey Bullstrode," he called out. "Can you keep a secret?"

They stopped chatting. Millicent Bullstrode looked at him. "Of course I can!" she replied, indignantly.

"Well," he said. "Then why don't you come downstairs with me, and I'll tell you all about it!" He winked.

She looked puzzled. "Don't you have a girlfriend, Zabini?"

"Yeah," he said, with a devious look on his face. "Didn't I tell you it was a secret?"

She grinned at him, and strolled over. "Alright then," she said.

Blaise took her by the hand, and led her down to the dormitories, leaving Draco looking more confused than ever.

----------

The next morning the whole castle knew what had happened between Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bullstrode. It seemed to be _the_ topic of conversation, since everyone also thought he was going out with Sally. She got a lot of "I-told-you-so" looks, and many sneers from Slytherin girls. But most people just looked sympathetic. She herself was unperturbed. She could hardly blame him, after what _she_ had done that evening, even if _that_ had actually been _his_ idea. Besides, she and Blaise hadn't actually done _anything_ before, so she supposed it was perfectly alright.

That morning after breakfast, everyone in the castle seemed to be holding their breath, when they saw Blaise wander over to where Sally was sitting. Sally could not help grinning broadly when he got to her.

"Hey Blaise!" she said happily.

He grinned back. "Sally," he said, "want to go for a walk?"

"Sure," she replied. And she got up and left with him.

The Slytherin girls looked shocked and appalled. Everyone else seemed speechless as they stared after them, open-mouthed. Everyone, except Draco Malfoy, who was staring at his coffee, comprehension slowly dawning.

----------

A few days later it seemed to everybody that Blaise and Sally, whatever happened, were still an item. Draco had gotten over the euphoria of his evening with Sally and was his old miserable self again. It seemed like everything had reverted back to last week's state, with the exception that Draco was no longer fighting Blaise. He couldn't, since he was now in his debt. He had _not_ gone back to Pansy, either. He couldn't face sex with her anymore, it was too much of a let down. So now, he was left with nothing.

He grumpily walked past an empty classroom in the dungeons, when he suddenly stopped. There was a sound coming from the classroom. He listened sharply. It sounded like crying. He opened the door slightly and peeked through. He startled when he saw who it was, lost his balance and tumbled through the opening. It was Millicent Bullstrode.

"What's up with you?" he inquired, obviously surprised.

She had jumped to her feet, alarmed. She quickly dried her tears and forced a smile. "Nothing," she muttered. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," he responded. "I just saw you crying!"

"I just…" she stammered. Then she seemed to catch herself, and resolutely shook her head. "It's nothing," she said, "just stupid stuff." She changed tack quickly. "But, er, what's up with you, Malfoy? Pansy's told me you've kind of lost…_interest_ in her. Is that true?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sort of," he said. "Well, not really. I'm just a little bored with her at the moment, that's all."

"Are you now," she said, smiling deviously. "So you fancy…a change?"

He looked at her sharply. Did she mean what he thought she meant? He studied her eyes. Yes, she did! He was pretty positive. But did he want to? This was Millicent Bullstrode, remember! Then he shrugged. Oh well. She _was_ a pure-blood, after all. He knew he couldn't have Sally anymore, and he really _was_ bored with Pansy! He had to admit, he was curious. Would she be better than Pansy? Would there be a big difference between the two? Would _she_ be more like Sally maybe? He doubted it, but hey, you never knew!

He smiled. "You know what?" he said cheekily. "I think I do!"

And he locked the door behind him.


	12. Birthday Treats

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thank you so much for your review! It's very much appreciated. Yes, right now I seem to be able to update every day. I can't promise I'll be able to keep that up, though! But I'll do my best. Thanks again! I absolutely **_**love**_** getting reviews!**

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A month had gone by. It was Saturday night, sometime in February, and Draco was sitting in one of the comfy armchairs by the fire. He thought about everything that had happened over the past month. He was still seeing Pansy; well sort of. His 'adventure' with Millicent Bullstrode had been disappointing, and nothing like his experiences with Sally. It had not been repeated. But it had been somewhat different from Pansy too, and it had given him the idea that _somewhere_ out there, there must be a pure-blood girl that would be able to take Sally's place. He'd been searching for that girl, and therefore had had a few 'romances' since. So far he'd come up with nothing. All that had happened is that he was getting a reputation to match Zabini's.

And talking about Zabini, he was _still_ seeing Sally. Since he was back on speaking terms with Zabini, he knew that nothing actually had happened between them, and he was extremely relieved about that. Zabini, being the person that he was, couldnot possibly be satisfied with that, and had been seeing other girls too, with whom he would get what he needed.

Obviously, everyone was really surprised that Sally put up with Blaise's behavior. Well, they didn't know that Blaise and she were really no more than friends, so he guessed that was understandable. He smiled. Let them be friends. As long as they remained _just_ friends, he was okay with that.

He was meeting a girl from Ravenclaw tonight, behind the broom shed (he never went to the Room of Requirement with anyone else, as he didn't want to be reminded of Sally). He wasn't sure how _that_ was going to work out. He was pretty sure she was a virgin, and she wasn't horrible looking. No great beauty, though, and she seemed to have some irritating characteristics. What was her name again? Oh yeah, Sandra. Sandra Perez.

Pansy was now very much aware of his infidelity, and was not happy about it. She put up with it, though, so he'd let her hang on as his "official" girlfriend. He knew that would make his parents happy. And to be perfectly honest, so far, of all the girls he'd been with other than Sally, he preferred Pansy. So she was staying. For now, at least.

----------

Sally was sitting on her bed in her dormitory. She'd been in the common room before, but she had gotten sick and tired listening to Sandra Perez's excited babbling about her date with Draco Malfoy that night. Big deal! Draco had been dating a fair amount of girls lately (all pure- or half-bloods, though). She sighed. She still had trouble dealing with that.

But she had to move on, and she thought she couldn't _really_ complain. She'd had plenty of 'dates' with Blaise, something a lot of girls seemed envious about. Of course they didn't know they were _really_ just friends. Blaise still never tried to kiss her. She'd been perfectly okay with that at first, but now she was starting to get a little concerned, that maybe there was something wrong with her. It wasn't him, of course, she was perfectly well aware that there were plenty of other girls that he _did_ kiss. So why not her?

And then there were all those people who were telling her she should not put up with his behavior, that she should dump him because he was being unfaithful. Well, there was nothing she could do about it. Since they weren't actually involved, she couldn't stop him. And she was very much enjoying their friendship; she didn't want to miss that for the world.

Oh well, who cared what other people thought anyway. Besides, it left her with plenty of time for extra studying, which was good since she had picked up her study sessions with Hermione again, albeit on a less frequent basis. Hermione had never mentioned Blaise when she was studying with Sally. She knew Hermione didn't like Blaise very much. Still, she didn't have the feeling Hermione thought their relationship was such a bad thing for her.

She was getting ready. Today was February 17, her 15th birthday, and she was in the mood to celebrate. Her friends had woken her up by singing 'Happy Birthday' to her, which had put her in a good mood. It got even better when she was presented with a large stack of licorice cauldrons from Honeydukes, which was gone in no time as she had shared them with all her friends.

But tonight she was going to meet Blaise. It was an unseasonably mild evening, so they'd probably spent some time outside. She was picking her clothes. She had plenty of choice these days, with all the stuff that Draco had bought her for Christmas. At first she hadn't wanted to wear any of it, since she'd been so upset with him. But she had gotten over that particular aspect. What would she do with it otherwise? It's not as if she could give it back. It wouldn't suit him! She giggled thinking of how he would look in girls' clothes.

The jewelry was a little different. She had not worn _any_ of it since Christmas. But tonight… tonight she decided she would wear _some_ of the jewelry. Some earrings and a necklace. And she'd wear that pretty dark red dress with her black jacket. She'd use a little make-up too, and maybe she'd paint her nails. She smiled. It was so nice getting ready for a date when you actually had a choice of nice things to wear!

Not too much later she came down the dormitory steps into the common room. A few people stared at her.

"You look great, Sally!" Lisa said. "You're so lucky that you have such a nice cousin who gave you all that stuff! You should see him more often!"

"I don't think I'll be seeing him anymore for a _long_ time," said Sally, in a somber tone. "He's actually left the country."

She felt bad lying about this, but she had no other option. They all knew she had no money at all, and that she couldn't possibly have afforded to buy all those things herself.

"I have never seen that necklace and those earrings, though," said Sandra. "Did your cousin buy those for you too?"

Sally nodded. She didn't actually like Sandra that much. She had a bit of a whiny character. In fact, nobody really liked her much, but since she was in their year, everyone just kind of put up with her. She _did_ wonder what Draco wanted with _her_. But then again, she _was_ a pure-blood witch. And that was really all that mattered to him, wasn't it?

She had noticed that mostly all the girls he was seeing were pure-bloods. He wouldn't even _talk_ to Muggle-borns, unless it was to say something nasty. But he _had_ been seeing the occasional half-blood girl.

"Why did you never wear them before today?" Sandra asked.

Sally shrugged. "I didn't have the right occasion."

Sandra looked suspicious. "So what's the occasion tonight?"

"I don't know. I just felt like I wanted to wear something special on my birthday," Sally said.

"Yeah right," said Sandra. "I bet you have… _plans_!"

Sally now looked at her with irritation. "I have not," she said. "And even if I did, it would be none of your business. I just felt like wearing some jewelry, okay?"

"If you say so," Sandra said, with an annoying smirk.

The conversation with Sandra had put Sally in a bit of a bad mood. She complained to Blaise later.

He smiled at her. "Are you sure you're not just pissed at her because she's seeing Malfoy tonight?"

She looked at him. "Hmph," she said. "Of course not. I am _so_ over him!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well that's good to know," he said, grinning. They'd gone outside and sat down under a tree. "You look very nice today," he said. "Well, you always look nice, but you seem to look _extra_ nice today."

She smiled at him. "Thank you," she said. Neither of them said anything for a little while. Then Sally said, "Would you kiss me, Blaise?"

Blaise looked at her in shock. "What?" he said.

"Never mind," she said, blushing, "I just wondered, why not me. I mean, you seem to, you know, you kiss _other_ girls! Oh, just forget it. It doesn't matter!" She stared at her fingernails.

He moved closer to her. "I wasn't sure if you were ready," she heard him say. "But if you think you are?"

She looked up and saw that he was grinning. Then he put his arms around her and kissed her. She smiled at him as he pulled back afterwards. He gently stroked her cheek. "Sally, Sally," he said softly. "I've been waiting _so_ long for this!"

Then he kissed her again. They spent the rest of the evening cuddled up together. They'd laugh and talk, as usual, and they kissed. He didn't try anymore than that, and she once again was grateful for that. That was enough for today, she thought. They arranged to meet again the next day after lunch.

When she came back to the Ravenclaw common room, she found Sandra sitting in one of the armchairs by the fire. Sally was in a good mood, so she happily greeted her. Sandra pouted.

"Have you been in long?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, since about half past 8." Sandra said.

"Didn't you meet Malfoy at half past 7?" Sally asked.

"Yes," Sandra said, a faint smile on her lips.

"How was it? Did you have a good time?" Sally asked, trying to be friendly.

"Yes! It was great! I _love_ him!" she exclaimed.

Sally winced. Ugh, she'd used the L-word! _Nobody_ used the L-word, in particular not the Slytherins. It was like a swear word to them.

"That's wonderful," Sally said, with a grimace. "But then, why'd you come home so early?"

"Oh, he had to go somewhere," she said vaguely. "Hey you know what?" she continued, perking up. "Draco and Blaise are friends, aren't they? And _we_ are friends too! We could go on a double-date together!"

Sally looked at her in shock. Oh yeah, that's a lovely idea, she thought, sarcastically. "Er…, Sandra…, I don't know if you've ever noticed, but Draco Malfoy doesn't actually like me."

For a few seconds, Sandra looked puzzled. Then she cheered up. The penny had dropped. "Ohhh, yeah! I remember!" she said. "That's true; you're a Muggle-born, aren't you! I remember that day in Potions class!" She started giggling. "Oh well. Shame. It could have been fun, though!"

Sally secretly thought that breaking her leg would be more fun than going on a double-date with her and Draco.

"Sally, are you still a virgin?" she asked.

"Sandra, that's a bit of a personal question!" Sally replied.

"Oh," Sandra said, a little put out.

"Why do you want to know anyway," Sally said.

"Because…well…I don't know," she said.

Sally shrugged her shoulders and got up, ready to go to bed. She'd had enough of this conversation.

"Sally, wait!" Sandra called out. "Wait!" Sally waited, puzzled. "Have you…have you ever…I mean…I guess not, since you're Muggle-born, you probably haven't. But then maybe, since you're with Zabini…"

Sally sighed. The girl really _was_ annoying. "Come on, Sandra," she said. "Ask, otherwise I'm going to go to bed."

"Oh, okay then," she said. "Have you ever…did you ever hear of the Claim Spell?"

Sally looked at her in shock. Why was she so interested? Did they…? She thought about it for a second. If they did… Sandra had probably been a virgin. She felt herself go angry, even though she wasn't quite sure why.

"Yes," she replied, snappier then she had meant to. "I _have_ heard of it. Why? Did you lose your virginity tonight, Sandra?"

She nodded, looking a little put out. "And… and I thought he'd claim me. But he wouldn't! He said it would be too confusing!" She looked upset now, as if she was about to burst into tears. "Is that…do you think that's normal, Sally?"

Sally stared at her. She almost pitied her. He had taken her virginity, but he had not bothered to claim her. He could be such a jerk! She shrugged her shoulders again.

"I…I think it's okay," she said. "I've heard that happen before. Lots of guys never bother to claim their girls, since most of them take it off eventually anyway. It's perfectly normal. And, I guess it _can_ get confusing if you have too many. Isn't he seeing Parkinson too?"

Sandra looked at her, as if her words had reassured her. "He's not _really_ seeing Parkinson," she said. "He told me so himself. She is just conveniently there all the time. He'll dump her as soon as he finds the right girl." She smiled broadly now. "I guess he'll get rid of her soon now then, won't he?"

Sally gave her a wry smile in turn. "Well," she said. "I wouldn't hold my breath, Sandra."

Sandra's smile disappeared. "We'll see about that," she said, snappy now too. "I guess _you_ wouldn't know anything about that anyway, considering what Zabini is up to all the time. It's not as if _you_ can keep _him_ straight!" she smirked.

"Whatever," Sally replied, irritated now. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight!"

----------

In the meantime, in the Slytherin dormitories, Draco and Blaise were having a chat too. Draco had been sitting near the fire, with a bunch of others, discussing the big party the next day. Since there was no Quidditch this year due to the Triwizard Tournament, the Slytherins had decided to hold a Slytherin Quidditch party the next day after lunch, and all the Slytherins were going. There were going to play first (against each other) and party afterwards.

When Blaise had entered, Draco had called on him to talk about the party, but Blaise had replied he was not going, saying he had something better to do. He'd then gone straight to the dormitories and Draco had followed him down.

"You know you'll be the only one not going?" he said.

Blaise smiled broadly. "I don't care," he said. "I can't go. Not now that I'm _finally_ getting somewhere with Sally."

"Excuse me?" replied Draco, a frown on his face.

"You heard me," grinned Blaise.

"What did you do?" Draco inquired menacingly, his eyes narrowing.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Not much. Not yet, anyway. But it won't be long now!" He looked at Draco with a smirk. "Now don't forget you still owe me a favor, Malfoy."

"_Screw_ you, Zabini, if you think… _Did you kiss her?_"

"Yes," said Blaise, still smirking. "And that was great, but I can't wait to sample the rest."

Draco just stood, staring at him maliciously, his blood boiling. But then he just turned around and left.


	13. Confessions

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The following day at lunch in the Great Hall, Sally's friend Mandy asked her what she was doing that afternoon.

"I'm seeing Blaise. He'll come pick me up after lunch," she replied.

Mandy raised her eyebrows. "Is he really? You mean he's not going to the Slytherin Quidditch party this afternoon?"

"The what?"

"The Slytherin Quidditch party. It's a big deal, apparently. Only Slytherins are allowed, and they're all going."

"I had no idea," Sally said, surprised. "Blaise didn't mention it, and he said he'd meet me."

Sandra gave Sally a condescending smile. "Well, obviously, you _won't_ be seeing him this afternoon then, will you?" she sniggered.

"Whatever," Sally said, returning her attention to her food.

When they were finishing up their lunch, Blaise walked over to the Ravenclaw table towards Sally.

"Hey, Blaise!" Sandra called out cheerfully to him when he approached.

Blaise gave her a confused look. "Excuse me?" he said, clearly irritated at the unauthorized use of his first name. "Do I know you?"

Sandra continued smiling. "I am Draco's girlfriend!" she exclaimed happily.

Blaise narrowed his eyes, then started laughing. "_Malfoy's_ girlfriend? Which one? I'm losing track!"

A lot of the girls started giggling at his remark. Looking slightly put out, Sandra paused a few seconds.

Then, in a somewhat quieter voice, she said, "Well, I'm also _your_ girlfriend's best friend. Practically!"

Blaise looked at Sally, frowning skeptically. "Is _she,_ your best friend?"

Sally shook her head. "No," she replied, annoyed.

Blaise grinned again. "I didn't think so," he said.

"Zabini," said Mandy. "Aren't you going to the Slytherin Quidditch party?"

Blaise shook his head and looked happily at Sally. "I'd rather be with my girlfriend this afternoon," he replied.

"Hmph!" said Sandra, annoyed. "Well, I think Draco should be spending the afternoon with _me_ then, too! I'll go tell him now!"

She got up, and started walking towards the Slytherin table. Everyone at the table looked shocked. Blaise looked surprised at first, but his expression quickly turned to obvious amusement. Sally gasped.

"Sandra, no!" she shouted after her. "Don't be stupid, Sandra! You'll regret it! Don't!"

She started running after her, but Blaise stopped her. "Don't," he whispered to Sally, "leave her! This should be fun!"

His eyes twinkled. Sally looked horrified, but stayed put. All eyes were on the Slytherin table now.

----------

Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, talking about Quidditch, when Sandra approached.

"Hey Draco," she said happily.

Draco glanced at her for a second, then ignored her and kept talking to his friends.

"Draco?" she said, a little more urgently now.

He continued ignoring her. Some of the other Slytherins started sniggering.

"Malfoy!" she now said, no longer smiling.

He finally looked up at her. "What?" he replied, in a harsh voice.

"I, er…I would like us to spend the afternoon together," she said in a soft voice.

"Do you now," he said scornfully, smirking. "And, er…, what would you like us to do then?"

She blushed, and didn't say anything.

He stared at her for a few seconds, amused. "Perez," he finally said. "If you're looking for another fuck, I'm a little busy this afternoon. But I'm sure Crabbe and Goyle here would be happy to help you out there before joining us at the Quidditch party. Won't you, boys?"

Everyone at the table was roaring with laughter now. Sandra stood nailed to the ground for a few seconds, turning beet-red. Then she turned and fled the room.

----------

At the Ravenclaw table everyone had been watching in horror, except for Blaise, who was grinning in amusement.

"Damn, I wish I'd been there!" he said. "I would have really liked to hear what was being said!"

Sally looked shocked. "I'm going to go see her," she said.

"You're what? Why? You don't even _like_ her!" he said in amazement.

"Even so," she said. "She's probably distraught! I feel sorry for her. He must have said something _really_ nasty. Look how they're all laughing at her!"

Blaise still looked at her as if he didn't understand why she'd bother. But he finally said, "Alright then, fine. You do that, and I'll go and have a little chat with the boys. Come get me when you're done, okay?"

And thus Sally went over to the entrance hall after Sandra. Blaise, meanwhile, went to talk to the Slytherins, where he got a first-hand account of what had been said, and where he, to everybody's continued amusement, regaled the preceding events at the Ravenclaw table.

----------

Sally found Sandra in tears in the entrance hall. Sandra told her what had happened. Sally shook her head and told her she'd better get back up to the common room now.

"No!" Sandra said, looking horrified. "I can't, I _have_ to talk to him! I _have_ to!"

Sally looked at her, astounded. "You can't be serious, Sandra! There's nothing to talk about! He's _laughing_ at you! And so is everybody else. You need to get out of here before _they_ get here and make things even worse!"

"No," she said, desperately. "I…I need to explain. He'll listen to me. He'll understand!"

"No, he won't!" Sally said, exasperated now. "You're making a fool of yourself, Sandra, please!"

"Ahem," sounded a voice behind her.

She turned around. She and Sandra now stood face to face with Draco, who was grinning broadly. Just about the whole school had come out of the Great Hall too, and people were slowly gathering around them.

"Hey, Perez," Draco said. "You know what? You bring Perks here along and I might actually change my mind!"

"Yeah, right!" said Sally, infuriated. "In your _dreams_, Malfoy!"

Draco looked at her, an evil twinkle in his eyes. He shook his head. "Uh-uh," he said. "They're not called _dreams_, Perks! They're called…_memories_!"

Draco laughed derisively now, and Sally gasped. He winked at her as he swept past her and Sandra, and left the castle. He left Sally standing there, nailed to the ground, as every eye of every student was fixed upon her. They looked at her in shock. Sally stared around her. She went scarlet.

"He's lying!" she called out to everybody. "Of course he's lying!"

Then she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her away. It was Blaise. "Come on, Sally, let's get out of here," he said, softly.

And she gratefully let him guide her away from the crowd.

----------

The other Slytherins didn't waste a moment telling Draco that Sally had called him a liar.

He shrugged. "Why, yes, of course she would say that, wouldn't she?" he said, sneering.

"So…is it true then? Did you actually…_fuck_ her?" someone asked.

"Yes," he grinned. "Yes, I did."


	14. Dangerous Territory

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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"Did you…did you hear what he said?" Sally whispered to Blaise, as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else.

"Yes, and so did just about everybody else in the castle," he replied.

He looked at her for a second and then he smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. You told them he was lying, didn't you? And who do you think they'll believe, you, or him?"

"But he's telling the truth!" she protested.

"Yeah well. Makes a change. People will think he's lying when he's actually telling the truth! Usually they think he's telling the truth, when he _is_, in fact, lying." He was grinning now. "Besides, his version is so much more unlikely than yours. They wouldn't have been inclined to believe it anyway, even without your denial."

Sally smiled half-heartedly. It didn't feel good to think that _she_, in fact, was the liar instead of Draco. Of course it hadn't been her first ever lie at Hogwarts. She'd lied about her non-existent cousin, for example, although by comparison, that didn't feel like such a big lie anymore now.

Still, there was no way she could possibly have admitted that his accusations were true. They had had an agreement, after all, that they would keep their relationship secret, an agreement that he had now broken. So she couldn't exactly feel _too_ bad for him, if nobody would believe him.

"Anyway, just stick to your story and you'll be fine," Blaise said. "However, I do think it would be best if you stay away from everyone for a little while; a little privacy would be a good idea right about now. And I know just the place!"

She looked at him in surprise. She certainly wasn't adverse to a little privacy at the moment, but she wondered what place he was thinking of. He seemed to be going towards the dungeons.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," he grinned.

They arrived at a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. "_Pure-blood_," said Blaise, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Blaise smiled and beckoned her forward.

"Come enter where no Muggle-born has ever gone before," he said.

Sally gasped. "I…I can't go in there!" she exclaimed.

"Sure you can," he said, as he gently pushed her inside.

Sally gaped at the rough stone walls around her. She was actually standing inside the Slytherin common room!

"But…but I'm not allowed in here!" she protested, as the door shut behind her.

"So what?" said Blaise. "There's no one here. They're all at the party, and they won't be back for a while." He smiled mischievously at her. "Come, let me show you the dormitories."

He held her hand as he led her down a set of stairs. Sally felt extremely uncomfortable as she followed him down. She couldn't believe Blaise was so confident! What if someone came back for something? She knew they'd be in _big_ trouble! Blaise noticed her worried look.

"Don't worry," he said lightly. "If anybody finds out, I'll take all the blame. I'll tell them I kidnapped you and dragged you here against your wishes."

She laughed.

"There," he said, "that's better!"

They arrived at his dormitory, and he guided her to one of the beds. "Welcome to my place!" he grinned, and started kissing her.

Sally happily kissed him back. It wasn't quite the same as it had been with Draco; the passion wasn't exactly there in the same way, but still, she felt comfortable with Blaise and found kissing him enjoyable. She was a little apprehensive too, as she had the feeling he would be somewhat more 'adventurous' this time.

She was right, of course. Within a very short time they were both lying on his bed, and his hands had started to travel underneath her shirt, whispering her name as he did so, and telling her how beautiful he thought she was. She closed her eyes and let him. She had her arms around his neck and was enjoying his touch. She felt that, after staying with her and supporting her for more than a month now, she kind of owed him this much. Besides, it certainly wasn't unpleasant, and she knew it couldn't exactly go _too_ far since she still carried Draco's claim.

She was wearing a flared charcoal skirt and a pale green top. She realized with a shock that everything she was wearing had been bought for her by Draco. Oh well, she thought. That's his loss for being a jerk. Still, she felt a pang of guilt inside her as she thought about him. She tried to dismiss it by concentrating on her current partner.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, as he looked into her eyes.

She gave him a smile. "I'm fine," she said.

He smiled back. "Do you mind if I, er…" he said, with a hungry look in his eyes, "take this off?" indicating her shirt.

"Alright, go ahead," she replied, and before she knew it, he'd pulled it over her head and it was gone.

Her skirt followed soon afterwards. He gazed at her. "You're the most beautiful girl I ever saw, Sally," he said. "And that's not a pick-up line either. Well, it _is_, of course, but not for you!"

She looked at him questioningly.

"Why, I can't say I haven't used it before," he smirked, "But with you, it's actually true. I swear!"

She laughed. He always managed to make her laugh.

"Cute undies," he said, indicating her lacy green bra and matching panties, "look pretty expensive too. How did you end up with those?"

She blushed. "You don't want to know," she said.

Now it was his turn to laugh. "Ah-ha," he laughed, "I think I can guess. Well at least he's got good taste!" But then he added, in a whisper, "But I think we should probably get rid of anything that's Malfoy's, don't you?"

She blushed even more now, and didn't answer.

He lay down and kissed her again, in the meantime trailing his fingers over her neck downwards towards her breasts. He stroked one of them right underneath the edge of her bra, when her bra suddenly loosened up. He'd managed to unclip it behind her back with his other hand. He smiled at her and started kissing her neck, as his hands moved down to lightly massage her waist. Then one of his hands came up to her shoulder, pulled her bra-strap down and finally removed it completely.

He got back to massaging her waist as he moved his head down towards her breasts. He started nibbling on one of her nipples at the same time as he started stroking her belly. It was an extremely pleasant sensation, and Sally actually felt herself getting excited. It had been a _long_ time. She let out a little moan and started moving her hands over the back of his shirt. He chuckled happily. He moved further down, kissing her bellybutton, and stroking the inside of her thighs. His hand was creeping up higher and higher. Then he moved his hand over her panties and underneath the lacy material downwards.

Next, he let out a scream, rolled of the bed in shock, fell to the ground with a thud and started clutching his hand.

"Aw, fuck!" he yelled. "That stupid spell, I forgot all about it!"

Sally looked at him in shock. He crawled back on the bed, a look of anguish on his face. She stared at his fingers, which appeared to have acquired some serious burns. He lay down on his back for a minute, catching his breath. Then he finally turned back at her, observing her half-naked body.

"You have to take it off," he said. "Let's do it, now!"

"No!" she said, concerned. "I…I can't!"

"I'll walk you through it," he said. "It's easy!"

"Blaise, no!" she said, pleadingly now. "I can't…I just…can't."

He stared at her. Then he lay back down with a deep sigh. She remained motionless for a minute, then turned towards him. She took his injured hand in hers.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Blaise," she stammered. "I didn't know that that's what would happen!"

He smiled. "It's okay, sweetie," he said. "It was worth it. _You're_ worth it. Kind of ruined the mood, though, didn't it?"

She smiled at him.

"Are you sure you don't want to?" he started again, with a hopeful look.

"I can't get rid of the spell," she said. "Not _yet_, anyway."

"I thought you were 'over' him?"

"I am, I think," she said. "But, well, he kind of…said he'd kill me, and anyone near me if I ever took it off."

"Yes, yes," Blaise said. " That's what he told _me_ too. He's bluffing, of course. He's not going to kill you. Or me. He'd be pretty pissed-off, I guarantee you _that_, but he's not going to kill anyone! People say that all the time. It just means he won't be happy about it. Besides, it's not as if the two of you actually have any kind of relationship anymore, is it? He can't possibly expect you to keep that spell for the rest of your life, now, can he? Not when he's not involved in it in any way."

She shrugged. "Yes, I guess you're right. But I'm still a little concerned. Besides, I don't think I'm ready to go that far yet."

He grinned at her now. "You seemed pretty ready to me," he said, as he let his gaze wonder over her exposed breasts, before fixing it back on her eyes.

She blushed. He put his arms around her and kissed her again. When he pulled back, he said, once again scanning her body with his eyes, "Now you better get dressed, missy, or I might achieve complete loss of my senses, and get burned in a much more delicate spot. And I'd _never_ forgive you for that!"

She smiled, and got dressed, scurrying all over the dormitory to collect all her items of clothing. Then she sat back next to him. They hugged, kissed and chatted for a while longer, until Blaise informed her that the party would be getting close to being finished by now, and she'd better leave. He made a move to get up to see her out, but she shook her head.

"It's okay, I can find my way out," she said. "I'll see you later."

He did not protest, gave her one last kiss, and she was on her way. She made it out the door alright. But as the door closed behind her, she suddenly came face to face with a whole bunch of Slytherins who had just turned the corner…


	15. Detonation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Draco had had some trouble at the party convincing people that he had actually spoken the truth earlier that day. Somehow few people believed him, which wasn't exactly helped by the fact that he refused to give any details. But he had no intention of divulging the whole extent of their relationship to anybody. In fact, the actual statement itself had been an impulsive one, brought about by some insane need to hurt Sally somehow.

Still, he was annoyed. After all, he _had_ been speaking the truth. And there was no doubt people were interested. It had been a popular topic of conversation all afternoon, and he'd had many questions on the subject. If only there was some way he could make people believe that he was telling the truth!

As soon as he noticed the disturbance when they got back to their common room, he pushed his way to the front. And when he saw who was standing there, looking like she had just come out of _their_ house, he knew that _that_ was his chance. And since he knew immediately why she must have been there, he had no mercy.

----------

"Well, well, what have we here!" sounded a familiar voice, as Sally stood, alarmed and rooted to the spot. Draco appeared out of the crowd. He smirked. "Why, Perks! Where have _you_ been!"

Then he cast an obviously feigned look of surprise at the now blank wall. "But…, Perks, did you just come out of _our_ common room?"

Sally didn't reply. She just stared at the ground, as Draco was circling around her.

"Hmm," he continued. "I'm willing to bet _Zabini_ is still inside, right?" He tried to catch her eye, but she resolutely continued looking at the floor. "Did he give you a tour of our House, Perks? I bet he didn't get any further than the dormitories, though, did he?"

He laughed menacingly. All the other Slytherins started laughing too. He stopped right in front of her, and lifted her chin with his finger.

"Did you have…_fun_, Perks?" he asked, gazing at her in an unsmiling, intimidating manner. He let go of her chin. "Oh, and, talking of _fun_," he continued, merciless, "my friends here," and he indicated everyone around him, "have informed me that you're apparently calling me a liar!"

He paused for a moment. "Obviously, there must have been some misunderstanding," he announced. "But one that I would very much like to clear up." Once again he stood in front of her, his arms crossed this time, looking positively evil. "I dare you to deny, right now, right here, that you and I had sex…_Sally_."

He put particular emphasis on the use of her first name, as he gave her a wicked smile. Sally stood there for a few seconds trembling with anxiety, not knowing what the heck she should do now. She attempted to sidestep him, but he was too quick for her.

"I'd like to go back to my House," she said. "Can you let me through please?"

He laughed at her. "Sure," he said, "Just as soon as we're all clear on this. Do you deny that you and I did…_it_?"

She couldn't see a way out. She just wanted to get away. Away from all those stares, and away from Draco's taunts. And she couldn't just blatantly lie like that. He knew that too, and was counting on her honesty.

"Stop it!" she yelled, her eyes starting to fill up with tears. "Malfoy, let me through, please!"

He took a step closer to her, and grabbed her arms. "_Do you deny it, Sally?_"

She sighed, and stared at the floor, not saying a word.

A satisfied grin spread over Draco's face. "Clearly, you don't," he said, stepping aside. "Alright, guys," he spoke to the others. "Let her through."

Reluctantly, they cleared a path for her, staring at her as she rushed past. Sally tried her hardest not to look at anybody, and rushed to her own common room, just about managing to choke back her tears.

Once she got back, she continued to avoid everybody's gaze. Her friends were getting ready to go to dinner, and greeted her happily.

"Hey Sally," Lisa said. "We just want you to know that we _all_ believe you, and we think Malfoy is a real jerk for spreading stupid rumors like that. Obviously, _we_ know that you would never do anything like that, especially not since you're seeing Zabini and you really like him. And certainly not with _Malfoy_, of all people! Besides, we kind of all think you're still a virgin, anyway." She grinned as she said this last part.

Sally swallowed hard. Oh, for goodness sake, she thought. Things seemed to have a way of getting worse. And she couldn't just leave it, since they would find out at dinner anyway, and then they would be mad at her for leaving them in the dark when everyone else seemed to know. She _had_ to tell! They were her friends after all.

"Malfoy was telling the truth," she grumbled.

Lisa's eyes went wide. "WHAT?" she called out, shocked.

Sally looked at her, miserably. Then she ran up the stairs and flung herself down on her bed, her heart pounding and her eyes brimming with tears, leaving everyone downstairs in shock at her confession.

----------

Draco, in the meantime, marveled at the admiration he was receiving from his House mates. Now that all shadow of doubt had been removed, he was getting even more attention, and he was reveling in it. Just about every guy in his house was asking him how he'd done it.

However, he was not about to reveal any more than he already had. This had been enough. He actually started to feel somewhat sorry for Sally, since he knew she'd receive the other end of it. But, as he thought about what she probably had been doing with Blaise, his sympathy quickly disappeared. He had warned her, after all! She shouldn't have messed with him now, should she?

Talking about Blaise, he wondered where _he_'d gone to, and decided to go look for him. He found him up in the dormitory, on his bed, with his hands behind his head, eyes closed, looking quite pleased with himself. He had clearly not heard _anything_ of what had been going on.

Then a shock rolled through Draco like a thunder. He felt like he could no longer breathe. He stared at Blaise's hands, with a look of horror on his face, suddenly feeling sick. There was no doubt in his mind. He knew exactly what those burns on his fingers meant!

He was seething with anger as he practically _ran_ out of the common room. He felt a lump in his throat as he was walking resolutely towards Ravenclaw House. He was beside himself. How could she! How could she possibly do that to him! He no longer cared about anything or anyone, just her. He felt like he could just _kill_ her.

When he got to the Ravenclaw common room, almost everybody had left. He just caught a few first years leaving it, who were apparently the last ones out. He was positive Sally would still be inside, though, he knew she would not be going to dinner tonight. He pushed past the younger kids into their common room.

"Hey, you're from Slytherin, you're not allowed in our common room!" one of them said.

Draco snorted. "Try and stop me," he replied, a hair-raisingly terrifying look on his face.

The kids quickly scurried off, looking unnerved and intimidated.

Once inside, he called out, "Sally Perks! Get down here right now!"

----------

Sally heard him right away. She sat up and dried her tears as best she could. What was _he_ doing here? She carefully got out of the dormitory and looked down at him from the top of the stairs. Before she could say anything, she heard the words, "Petrificus Totalus."

She tumbled down as soon as she got hit by his spell. She did not get hurt, as he caught her in his arms, but she could no longer move. He dragged her out of the common room, up to the 7th floor. She knew where they were going, the Room of Requirement. But as they entered the room, she noticed it didn't look anything like it had done on previous occasions.

As soon as they got there, he took the spell off of her, and she could finally move again. He pulled her up by her arms and practically threw her against the wall. As she looked at his face, it dawned on her that he was _angry_. But why was he angry? What could _he_ possibly be angry about? If anyone had the right to be angry, it would be _her_! He had broken their secrecy agreement, after all. She'd done nothing wrong! At least, not that she was aware of. She was mystified. He had her pushed up against the wall, his face inches from hers.

"I _know_ what you did," he hissed at her. "You _slut_!"

"What are you talking about?" she replied, somewhat alarmed.

He looked intently at her for a few seconds. Then he pulled, hard, on her skirt in the back, causing the button to come off and the zipper to open. He pulled again and it ripped. She gasped.

"What…what are you doing?" she stammered.

He stuck his hand inside her undies, and roughly put his fingers inside her. "There," he hissed in her ear. "Do you like that, Sally? Do you? Is _that_ what you wanted from him? Is it? _**Is it?**_"

"Stop!" she yelled at him. "Draco, stop that!"

He stopped, and put his underarms on the wall next to her head. His lips were now almost touching her. He was still hissing. "Did you tell _him_ to stop, Sally? You didn't, did you? And you wouldn't have done, would you? I saw his hand, Sally, I saw it! If it hadn't been for my claim, he would have fucked you, wouldn't he? You would have let him. I know you would! You little _slut_!"

He spat the last sentence, grasping her arms and throwing her on the ground. She was surprised to notice that the walls and the floor of the room were of a soft, bouncy material. He let himself fall down on the floor next to her and started ripping off her clothes, ruining them as he did so.

"Malfoy!" she protested. "My clothes!"

"_Your clothes_, Sally?" he spat. "Who bought those clothes, Sally? _WHO?_"

"_Y…You_ did," she said in a very small voice.

"So then that makes them _my clothes_, Sally!" he yelled at her. "Which means I can do with them what I want. And if I want to rip them up and shred them to pieces, I can!"

She was now naked except for her underwear. He lay down on top of her, and gave her an icy cold stare. She couldn't help noticing how grey his eyes were. He slowly slipped his hand underneath the strap of her bra. Then he pulled it back with a sharp tug. It broke, and her bra fell apart.

"Did he like your underwear, Sally? Did you tell him who bought it for you?" There was a twisted smile on his face. "Did you, Sally? DID YOU?"

She stared at him. His eyes were cold, but she saw the burning passion behind them. "Get _off_ me, Draco, please."

"No," he said, "No, I won't!"

"You're…you're hurting me!"

"Do I now, Sally? Do I? I've been on top of you before, Sally! Did I hurt you then? Did that hurt, Sally?"

She didn't reply.

He laughed. "No, it didn't, did it? You _loved_ that didn't you? You _love_ being fucked, don't you, Sally? DON'T YOU? Do you want me to fuck you now, Sally? Do you? Isn't that why you were with him? Because you wanted to be fucked? But he couldn't do it, could he? Well I can, Sally, _**I can**_! So do you want me to do that for you now, Sally? So you can finally get what you want? DO YOU?"

He was rubbing his hips against hers, and she could feel he was hard. She moved her face away from him. She didn't want to look at him anymore. He grabbed her face and turned it back towards him.

"Look at me, Sally," he hissed. "I want you to look at me." He stared at her for about 30 seconds, not saying a word. Then he slid downwards, until his eyes were level with her breasts. He brushed the remains of her bra away. "So, what about these, Sally?" he asked, softer now, as he looked up at her, and twirled his fingers around her nipples. "_They're_ not protected, are they? Did he touch them? Did he look at them, the way I am right now? And then, did he touch them? DID HE?"

He moved back up to her face. "Answer me, Sally," he hissed. "Answer me! Did you let him touch your breasts?"

She tried to move her face away from him again, but she couldn't. He was holding her chin. She looked at him, not willing to answer the question as she knew that would make him even angrier.

"I asked you a question, Sally," he said. "I'm expecting an answer. _Did you or didn't you_?"

She still didn't answer.

"You _did_, didn't you?"

She nodded.

He stared at her, his eyes even icier than before. "And did you like that? Did you moan? Did you moan like you used to do with me? He must have _loved_ that, didn't he? Did he use his mouth too? _Obviously_ he did, didn't he? I know him, he would have done. Didn't he? Didn't he? Sally? _Sally? Answer me! _I need to know, Sally! I need to know…everything!"

"I…I did," she replied. "And yes, he did."

His eyes narrowed. He gritted his teeth. "_WHORE!_" he yelled, "Y_ou fucking whore_!"

He rolled off of her, sat down and buried his face in his hands. Then he got up, grabbed a small table and flung it against the wall. He kicked another one. Then he stood over her, fury etched on his face.

"_Get up!_" he shouted. "_NOW!_"

She got up, reluctantly, and backed up against the wall. She noticed he had his wand drawn. He slowly walked forward towards her.

"I could kill you right now, Sally," he said, softly now. "Did you know that? I know how! And I could kill _him_ too. Both of you!"

She held her breath. "Draco, please!" she pleaded.

"Please, what!" he shouted. "And don't call me Draco! Unless you want me to fuck you first!"

He stood right before her, his eyes piercing hers. Then he gazed downward, taking in her almost naked body. He touched her with his wand. He moved it all over her. A shiver ran through her as he did so.

"Does that feel good, Sally?" he said, with a wicked grin.

Then he moved it downward, towards her undies, the only item of clothing she was still wearing. He dipped it inside and rubbed it against her privates. She gasped. He laughed. Then he pulled it away, and took another step closer. He put his wand away in his cloak and replaced it with his hand. He stroked her gently first, then he pushed harder.

She let out a moan. Her body tensed up. She couldn't believe it! She was actually _enjoying_ his touch, after everything he'd done and said to her! She felt like her body was betraying her!

"Is that nice, Sally? Do you like that?" he whispered in her ear. "I know you _do_, Sally. I know what you like. Did you forget? I know every inch of your body. I know how to make you feel good!" And he started rubbing faster.

"Ohhhhhhh," she cried, as she could feel an orgasm coming on.

But then he stopped. "No," he said. "No, you're not getting it. Not now." And he pulled his hand back.

"Draco," she whispered, pleadingly.

"I told you not to call me that! Unless you want me to fuck you. Do you want me to fuck you, Sally? Do you?"

Sally was confused. She didn't know _what_ she wanted, and she didn't know _what_ she was supposed to do, or say. She knew what her _body_ wanted. But she there was no way she was going to give in to _that_!

She shook her head.

He took a step back, pulled her by her arm and flung her back down. "Fine!" he said. "Then get your clothes back on and get the hell out of here!"

She stared at her ripped up clothes, and then back at him. There was no way she could possibly wear any of those anymore.

He started laughing. "Ah, that's right!" he said. "You can't wear them anymore, can you?" He walked over to her, and ripped off her undies unceremoniously. "And _these_ are mine too, by the way." He chucked them on a pile with the rest, took out his wand and pointed it at her clothes.

"What do you think, Sally?" he grinned. "Do you think 'Reparo' might work on them?"

"Incendio!" he shouted.

"Oops," he said, as her clothes went up in flames. "Wrong spell. Sorry!"

Sally stared at her burning clothes as the fire slowly died down, leaving nothing but ashes.

"Tough luck, huh?" he said, grinning wickedly. "Oh well. Got to go now. See you later, sweetheart! Good luck getting back!"

And he left, laughing out loud as he did so.


	16. Fallout

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks again for your review! I love getting reviews. And I am **_**really**_** happy this is one of your favorite stories! I hope you'll continue to like it, as we have a **_**long**_** way to go, still.**

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As soon as he left, Sally cried. And cried and cried. She was upset, about everything that had happened. And about the situation she was now in. There was nothing she could use to cover herself, and no way for her to get back unseen. She did not even have her wand with her, as she had left it in her dormitory in her haste to see him when he called.

So she was stuck. She would have to stay here, maybe even all night. Maybe she could creep back in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. But wouldn't they be looking for her? They probably would. So she had _no_ chance! She wrapped her arms around her knees and started rocking back and forth.

She thought about Draco and his reaction. He was clearly jealous. But why? He didn't want her anymore, did he? It had been _his_ decision for them to break up, after all. So how could he _possibly_ be jealous?

She understood now that everything that had happened this weekend, every word he'd said to her, had been out of jealousy. It all started since she kissed Blaise on Saturday night. He must have found out somehow.

Then, with a shock, she thought that Blaise could very well be wrong. She had a feeling he might actually have hurt her, had she taken off the claim spell. He'd been _so_ upset, and really, not much at all had happened between her and Blaise yet. She didn't think she could _ever_ take off the spell, now. _He_ would have to do it. She would have to convince him somehow.

And then, on top of everything, she was ashamed of herself. Ashamed of her reaction to his touch! She had enjoyed it! She hadn't wanted him to stop. In fact, she had practically begged him to continue!

She put her face in her hands. What was _wrong_ with her? After everything…after everything he had done, did she _still_ care about him? She couldn't be. She just couldn't! It was ridiculous!

----------

Draco did not go to dinner, he went straight back to his dormitory. Blaise was gone, he assumed someone had woken him up and he'd left to go get something to eat. He would have to talk to him when he got back. The bastard! He was still fuming. The jerk could have just about any girl in the castle. But no, he had to go after _his_!

He thought about Sally. Well at least she got what she deserved! Didn't she? He sighed. He had wanted her. He had wanted her really bad! And he almost got her, too.

Or at least, he thought he did.

But then she'd refused him. He gritted his teeth. He was pretty sure she wouldn't have refused Blaise earlier that day, had she not had that claim. _His_ claim. That's right, it was _his_ claim! Which made her _his_, didn't it? _Didn't it?_ But he didn't want her anymore, did he? _Did he_? It was confusing him. He thought hard.

He didn't know _what_ he wanted anymore. He knew what he _had_ wanted so far; he had wanted _her_ in a pure-blood form. That's what he had been looking for. But it had been a waste of time. He knew now he'd never find that. There was only one of her, and that one happened to be a Mudblood. Someone he could never ever, ever, _ever_ be with. He swallowed hard, and closed his eyes.

----------

"_Wake up, you piece of shit!_" were the next words he heard. He opened his eyes, and saw Blaise standing over him, his wand pointed at his chest. "_Where is she?_" he hissed, rage burning like fire in his eyes. "_What did you do to her?_"

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about," Draco said.

"Don't lie to me, you scumbag! You were seen. You were in Ravenclaw House, when she was the only one left in there. The same kids that saw you go in, saw you come out! And you were dragging her along. _Where did you take her?_"

Draco grinned. "And why would I tell you?"

"Because I will _kill_ you if you don't."

"You wouldn't even know how."

"Would you like to find out?"

"Well, you'd never find her _then_, would you?" Draco was smirking.

"_What did you do to her?_"

"Nothing much, really."

"Then where is she!"

"Actually, she could be anywhere," Draco chuckled. "I have no idea!"

Blaise looked as if he was ready to pull him apart.

"Well, it's not as if I locked her up or anything," Draco said. "I know where I left her, but that was a while ago. She could easily have gone somewhere else by now."

Blaise grabbed Draco's shirt and pulled it. His face was now inches from his. "_Where did you leave her_," he growled.

"In a room on the 7th floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy," Draco said.

Blaise turned to leave.

"Say hi to her from me, will you?" Draco called out after him, smirking still.

Blaise cast him an evil look, then left.

----------

Not too long after that, Sally suddenly saw the door of the room she was in, open. She was elated to see it was Blaise, and rushed over to embrace him.

"Blaise! You found me! I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed.

Blaise swallowed hard. It hadn't escaped him that she was completely naked. "Er…Sally?" he said, "Stupid question maybe, but, er…_where are your clothes?_"

She indicated the pile of ashes on the floor. "Malfoy burned them," she said, with a miserable look on her face.

"He did _what_?" he said, incredulous.

"Burned them," she said. "It was supposed to be an accident. Well, not really, he was pretending of course. But he told me they were _his_ clothes so he could do with them what he wanted. And I guess he thought it would be funny if I couldn't get back since I had nothing to wear! He was laughing, anyway, so I think he thought it was funny. So I couldn't leave and I didn't know what to do, and, oh, Blaise, I'm so happy you're here!" She hugged him again.

Blaise still looked as if he couldn't quite believe what had happened. "Did he, er…, do anything to you? Did he hurt you at all?"

She shook her head. "No," she said. He just ripped my clothes off and burned them."

He stared at her. "He's crazy!" he said. "Worse than I thought!" But he had started laughing a little now.

"Anyway, er…, wow. I've never actually seen you quite like this," he grinned, as he pushed her away from him a bit. "Here, stand back. Turn around! Twirl around a bit!" He had a lascivious look in his eyes.

"Blaise!" she exclaimed.

He laughed. "Alright, alright!" he said. "It's just that…never mind." He shook his head as he looked at her shamelessly.

He finally moved his gaze back onto her face. "Did he, er…he didn't actually happen to take off your claim or anything, did he?" He seemed to be hoping, more than expecting.

She shook her head.

"No, Blaise," she said, laughing. "Are you okay?"

"Actually, no," he said. "It's getting kinda hot in here. You may want to cover up before I…" he laughed mischievously.

"Yeah, but that's just the point, isn't it?" she said. "I don't have anything to wear!"

He took off his shirt and gave it to her. "Here," he said. She gratefully took it and put it on. It was long enough to cover her completely, as long as she didn't bend over. She smiled at him.

"Now, let me take you back before the whole school goes out on a search party," he said.

They left the room. As soon as they were outside, the door disappeared.

"What sort of room was that, anyway?" said Blaise. "It was a little strange, those padded walls and floor."

"It's a Room of Requirement," Sally said. "It will change into whatever you need it for."

Blaise stopped abruptly. "Does it now," he said with a funny look on his face.

"Yes, why?" she asked.

He laughed mysteriously at her, "Well, let's go back then!"

She gave him a puzzled look. Then, suddenly, it dawned on her, and she turned around immediately.

When they got back, another door had appeared. Blaise held the door open for her. "Here you go, miss!" he exclaimed, with a shrewd smile.

Sally walked into what appeared to be a clothes-closet. "Ohhhhhh!" she exclaimed. "How stupid of me! I should have thought of that!"

A few minutes later they were walking to the Ravenclaw common room. Sally was wearing some pajamas. The clothes she had found in the closet weren't exactly the height of fashion, but then again, that hadn't been what she needed. She just needed something to cover herself with. She gave Blaise a kiss when they got to her House and she left, leaving him to walk back to the dungeons.

----------

Blaise didn't get very far. He tripped, and soon after that he was pulled into an empty classroom. Draco stood over him.

"Trip jinx, Zabini," he said with a smirk, as he took Blaise's wand off of him.


	17. The Bet

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Ohhh, Alex, you are _so_ right, when you say that neither of them is any good for her at the moment! You're reminding me of someone right now. :D You'll see what I mean, the update after this one! And thanks so much for your review.**

**Draco really needs to grow up. He's still very young, and cannot understand or control his emotions very well. He's very frustrated. Young kids get like that sometimes, especially spoiled ones like Draco. Deep down, he does have a good heart, though!**

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"Get up," Draco commanded, holding his wand out in front of him, pointed at Blaise.

Blaise got up.

"Now, I think it's about time we have a little talk."

Blaise didn't say anything, just looked at him.

"You _know_, and you've known this right from the start, that this girl is '_special'_ to me. Right?"

Blaise shrugged.

"Answer me! Yes, or no?"

"Yes, I guess," Blaise said.

"And you _know_ that she's mine."

"And why the hell do you keep thinking that!" replied Blaise.

"I don't _think_ that, it is a fact."

"Just because you have claimed her doesn't make her yours. Maybe she used to be, but then you broke up with her, remember? You gave her up when you did that!"

"No I didn't! You know very damn well that I never gave her up! I just can't be with her because she's a _Mudblood_. That doesn't actually mean that I don't _want_ her anymore."

"You're with someone else. In fact, you're with a few others!"

"So are you!"

Blaise shrugged again. "You know that _that_ was because I wasn't actually with her at the time. Now that I _am_, I'll happily give up anyone else!"

"Don't fool yourself. You're not with her. She doesn't _want_ to be with you."

Blaise raised his eyebrows. "So what makes you think _that_? I certainly had the impression this afternoon that she _did_."

"She does _not_ want you," Draco said, louder now. "She wants _me_. You're just a back-up because she thinks she can no longer have me. A second choice!"

Blaise laughed. "Yeah, you wish! She's _over_ you, buddy. She may have liked you to start with, but not anymore! And you're just pissed that she's moved on!"

"And how would you know that she's so-called '_over'_ me?"

"She told me!"

"Yeah sure. You're making that up!"

"No I am not. She told me so a few times." Blaise smirked.

"_Liar_!" shouted Draco. "She wouldn't have told you that, because she's not. She absolutely is not!"

"I'm not lying," said Blaise. "I swear!"

Draco was getting angry now. That couldn't _possibly_ be true. There's no way Sally was 'over' him, he had seen it in her eyes, earlier that day!

"Did you ask her to take my claim off, then?"

"Of course I did," Blaise said. "What do you think?"

"But she didn't, did she? Why wouldn't she, if she was no longer interested in me?"

"Because you threatened her, of course! She seemed to think you would do something bad to her, if she took it off. For some reason, she appears to be scared!"

Draco shook his head. "You're _wrong_," he said. "She doesn't want to take it off because she wants me still. No other reason!"

"Yeah?" said Blaise. "Then tell her she can take it off. Tell her you won't do anything to her if she does. And then let's see!"

Draco felt like Blaise was trying to back him into a corner. "No," he said. "She will take it off then because she'll think I don't want _her_ anymore, not because she doesn't want _me_."

"Then just tell her you _do_," Blaise said. "Tell her she can take it off, but you'd rather she didn't, since you're crazy about her and want her to be available to you for the rest of your life."

Draco sneered. "Nice try, Zabini," he said. "There's no way I'm falling for that. Besides, you _know_ I can't tell her that. She's a Mudblood, I can't be with her."

"Oh for goodness sake," sighed Blaise. "You're being ridiculous. You're 14, for crying out loud! It's not like you're supposed to get married any time soon, is it? You can't have a relationship with a beautiful witch just because her mom and dad were Muggles?"

"Do you hear yourself talk?" said Draco. "YOU, yourself, would never have dreamed of saying anything like that only just a few months ago! You used to be as bad as me. And listen to you now!"

Blaise grinned sheepishly. "Well," he said. "That was before Sally turned up."

"So?" said Draco. "Why should that make any difference?"

"Does it make _any_ difference to _you_?"

"No," Draco said. "I still think Mudbloods are foul and evil scum."

"You think Sally is foul and evil scum?"

Draco paused. His face contorted as if he was in pain. Of course Sally wasn't foul and evil scum! But she _was_ a Mudblood, wasn't she? So how could she not be? He didn't reply.

Blaise waited for a little while. Then he said, "I'm sure you don't want to tie yourself to foul and evil scum, do you? So you should set her free, shouldn't you?"

"You wish!" spat Draco. "You wish, don't you? That's what you're after, isn't it? That's what you want, right? You just want to fuck her!"

"Yeah," Blaise said. "As a matter of fact, I do! And your stupid claim is being a royal pain in my neck! And for some reason you're holding on to it for dear life, even when you _know_ she's not even interested in you anymore!"

Draco cast a spell that made Blaise fly backwards against the wall. "You scumbag," Draco fumed at Blaise as he was lying on the floor. "How dare you! You're not, ever, _ever_, going to fuck her. I'll make damn sure of that!"

Blaise crawled back up. "Why, you're going to threaten her some more? Cause that's the only way you can stop me!"

"She won't have you, no matter what! Even if she _didn't_ have that claim!"

"If it hadn't been for that claim, she would have had me this afternoon," Blaise scoffed.

"No way!" said Draco. "_No way_! She'd never!"

"You want to _bet_?" yelled Blaise. "Take it off. Let's see how long she lasts. I guarantee I'll have her by the end of the day tomorrow!"

"Oh, you think so, do you? What have you achieved so far then?"

"Obviously, not much, thanks to you."

"I should think not!"

"Because of the claim you put on her, of course!" Blaise, said, exasperated.

"Bullshit!" said Draco. "There's plenty of stuff you _can_ still do. Did she give you a blowjob?"

Blaise narrowed his eyes. "No," he said.

Draco smirked. "A hand job then, maybe?"

"No."

"Hmm," said Draco. "You sure did well then, didn't you?"

"Screw you, Malfoy," said Blaise. "You _know_ that would be, like, repayment, for stuff that I'd be doing to her, that I can't do!"

Draco sneered. "Why, you're telling me that there's no way you could get her to do anything like that to you, without you being able to touch _her_ first?"

"You _know_ it doesn't work that way."

"_I've_ managed it, before!"

"Yeah, well, that's because you actually had an ongoing relationship with her. That's different! You couldn't get her to do that now!"

Draco laughed. "You're kidding, right? In the blink of an eye, I could!"

"_Really_," said Blaise, sarcastically.

"Really," said Draco.

"She hates you now," said Blaise.

"No she does not, she _l-o-o-ves_ me!" Draco said, pronouncing the word 'loves' in a condescending way.

"There's no need to swear," Blaise said, looking at him sharply.

Draco chuckled.

"Anyway, there's no way," Blaise said. "_I_'d be able to get her to do that before _you_ could."

"Yeah?" said Draco. "Let's see about that, then, shall we?"

"You want to bet?"

"Absolutely."

"What are the stakes?"

"If I win," Draco said, "You will leave her alone. You will stop going after her."

"Fine!" said Blaise. "But then if _I_ win, you will remove your claim."

Draco shook his head. "I can't do that," he said.

"Well then, what would be in it for me?" said Blaise.

Draco swallowed hard. "I'll tell her...I'll tell her she's free to remove it if she wants to."

Blaise looked at him sharply. Then he shrugged. "Close enough," he said.

"But to win the bet, you're not allowed to do _anything_ to her that I can't do either," Blaise said.

It was Draco's turn to shrug. "You're on," he said.

They shook hands on it. But just before they left the room, Blaise turned around.

"Oh, by the way," he grinned. "Thanks for the 'view', earlier."

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"She sure was a pretty sight, when I picked her up from that room," he said, smirking.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Nothing you hadn't seen before, I assume?"

"Not like that," Blaise said, with a wink. "Not quite."

Draco stared at him. Shoot, he thought to himself. Unintentionally, he had been aiding his rival.

----------

Draco was pretty positive, when he thought about everything later, that he would finally get rid of Zabini. He'd never have to worry about him anymore, as he would definitely be able to get Sally to do what was required. He'd have to make a few concessions, though. Put a little effort into it. The biggest problem was to make sure that Zabini didn't beat him to it. Even though he thought that that chance was small, he didn't want to take any risks.

All he needed was some time alone with her. There were some small issues that needed to be resolved too, like the fact that she was probably mad at him right now, what with him burning her clothes and telling everybody he'd had sex with her. He sniggered. Oh well, he'd sort it out, whatever.


	18. Revelations

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: We will soon see more of a connection developing with the events in the books. Sally is going to start to become more aware of what's happening outside of her own little world, and the story will get somewhat darker.**

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When Sally arrived in her common room, some of her friends immediately rushed to the entrance to see who she'd arrived with.

"You came back with Zabini!" Mandy said.

"Of course I did," Sally replied.

Some eyebrows were raised.

"Sally," Lisa said, "You're going out with Zabini. But apparently you've had sex with Malfoy, something you originally lied about. Then Malfoy comes here and drags you out of our common room, and you go missing for several hours. Then Zabini brings you back, and you're wearing…_what the heck are you wearing_? And where are your normal clothes? We're a little confused. What's going on?"

Sally looked tired. "I don't really want to talk about it," she said. "I'm a little confused and disturbed by it all too. I'm going to bed."

And so she went upstairs.

Upstairs on her bed she thought about everything that had happened lately. She really _did_ feel confused and disturbed. Draco obviously didn't want her involved with Blaise, which _had_ to mean he still cared about her. But he broke up with her! Yes, he said that was because she was a Muggle-born, no other reason. But why was that so important, anyway? And Blaise was right, what did he expect? He couldn't possibly expect her to be on her own for the rest of her life? Is _that_ what he wanted? He couldn't possibly be _that_ selfish, could he? But then, obviously he was, or he wouldn't have done what he did tonight.

But what about her? How did _she_ feel? She closed her eyes, and sighed. She thought about how it used to be with Draco, and how happy she had been. If only she could have _that_ back… And what about Blaise? She liked him too. A lot, even! But who did she prefer? She didn't have to think long about that, as she already knew the answer. And she hated herself for feeling the way she did.

Maybe… maybe she just shouldn't be involved with _anybody_ anymore. That was probably best. That way, she wouldn't get into anymore trouble either. She sighed. She really didn't like _that_ option either.

She was seeing Hermione after class tomorrow. Maybe she should talk to her. Hermione always had a fresh and impartial outlook on things.

But then, she wasn't exactly impartial about the Slytherins, though, was she?

Sally was starting to get a headache. She had to sort it out somehow. For now, she was going to take things as they came, and deal with them as they happened.

----------

The next day after breakfast Blaise came over to talk to her. He said he wanted to see her after school that day, but she told him she was seeing Hermione, so she arranged to meet him Tuesday after school instead.

Later that day they had potions with the Slytherins again. Snape announced, once again, that they were supposed to team up.

When she looked up a moment later, she saw Draco standing next to her.

"We're teaming up," he said, and Sally almost fell from her chair in shock.

Draco was as good as Blaise, when he concentrated on what he was doing. And _that_, he did. She followed his instructions and their potion seemed to do _very_ well. He didn't chat with her, or make her laugh, like Blaise had done. He worked hard and corrected her when she was about to make any mistakes.

They were doing fine, but she felt nervous and uncomfortable, and most of all, confused. Why was he doing this? Especially after his outburst yesterday! What did he want from her?

She wasn't the only one who was surprised and confused by Draco's unexpected move. Blaise was _very_ quiet, Pansy looked green, and everyone else looked flabbergasted.

Even Snape seemed puzzled. "Hm, it appears that my star students are taking pity on the lesser-abled?" he commented in passing, trying to catch Draco's eye.

But Draco didn't reply, didn't even look at him, and continued with what he was doing.

By the end of the class, Sally got to take the potion up to Snape's desk again. Snape seemed pleased with it. "Excellent. Another 20 points for Slytherin…" He paused a moment, before he added, "…and another 5 for Ravenclaw."

Draco approached Snape's desk, and looked at him. "She should get more than that," he said softly.

Snape looked at him suspiciously. He seemed to be trying to figure out what was going on. "Do I detect some…alternate motives here?" he replied.

Draco didn't say anything, just stared at him intensely.

"Okay," Snape said. "_Ten_ points. But that's final!"

"Good," said Draco, and walked out, Snape still staring after him.

As soon as Sally came out of the classroom, Draco pulled her aside. "Meet me after classes," he whispered. "You know where. I need to talk to you."

Sally stared at him. "I can't," she replied. "I'm already meeting someone."

His eyes narrowed, as he looked at her menacingly.

Somehow, she knew what he was thinking. "Not Zabini," she said, "Hermione."

He looked a little more reassured. "Cancel it," he said.

Sally thought for a moment. Why would she? It wasn't as if he had actually _deserved_ any favors from her! Besides, she _did_ actually want to see Hermione.

"No," she said. "I _have_ to meet with her."

He seemed somewhat perturbed. "Fine!" he said. "But I _need_ to talk with you. Soon!"

"Alright," she said, slightly bewildered. "If you, er…, promise I'll still have something to wear afterwards?"

He grinned at her.

"Promise," he said, and left.

But before she could go to her next class, Blaise approached her, his eyes narrowed. In an annoyed tone, he asked, "Are you meeting Malfoy, Sally?"

"Well, yes, he wants to talk to me," Sally replied.

"Sure he does," Blaise said sarcastically.

Sally stared at him. This was turning out to be a very strange day.

"Just…" Blaise said, "just be careful, Sally. Don't trust him!"

With that, he left too, leaving Sally to wonder if there was something going on between those two that she wasn't aware of.

----------

When classes had ended, she went to see Hermione in Professor McGonagall's classroom, as usual. Hermione was already waiting for her.

"Sally," she smiled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sally smiled back.

"You know," said Hermione, "There've been a _lot_ of rumors about you going around lately."

Sally looked at her, and sighed. "Yes, I know. And unfortunately, they're true."

Hermione looked surprised. "Well, I doubt they're _all_ true."

Sally shrugged. "You may be surprised."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You had a pajama party with both Malfoy and Zabini on Sunday night, did all sorts of naughty things to both of them and then sacrificed your clothes to save your soul?"

Sally stared at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. "Okay, maybe not _all_ of them," she admitted.

Hermione laughed with her for a few seconds. "Are you _really_ okay?" she then asked, more seriously, when their laughter had died down.

Sally shrugged. "Confused," she said.

"Weren't you going out with Zabini?" Hermione said.

"Yes," said Sally.

"And it bothered you that he was being unfaithful, so therefore you had a 'spell' with Malfoy, just to get even?" Hermione asked.

Sally laughed again. "No," she said. "Believe it or not, that's as untrue as the first statement you made. In fact, it is almost as if it was the other way around." She gazed out into space.

Hermione looked really puzzled now. "The other way around? How do you mean that?"

Sally sighed. "Hermione, please don't tell anyone anything about this. Will you promise that?"

"Of course," Hermione said.

"I never actually had any kind of relationship with Zabini, up until last Saturday," she said. "We were just friends, that's all. Therefore it never bothered me that Zabini was seeing other girls. He wasn't actually being 'unfaithful' to me, since we didn't have a relationship! And I wasn't 'unfaithful' to him, either, when I had my 'spell' with Malfoy."

Hermione looked at her shrewdly. "So you were one of Malfoy's conquests? He's had a few of them lately. I must say I'm surprised you were one of them. For a start, he's clearly been avoiding Muggle-borns. For seconds, I thought you'd know better than to fall for scum like him! But then, you were already friends with Zabini, who's not a whole lot better."

Sally was sagging a little in her chair. "I thought you would say something like that," she said.

Hermione looked at her intently. "Well, it's true, though, neither of them is worth your time of the day! You don't know them as well as I do, but you really would be better off without either one of them. I would have told you this sooner, but Zabini actually seemed to have a positive effect on you, in that he appeared to have made you get over your 'mystery lover' from before Christmas."

Sally stared at her fingernails now.

"Anyway," Hermione said. "So what about the 'pajama party' on Sunday night? I heard Malfoy came running into Ravenclaw House and dragged you out. And then you turned up again _hours_ later, with Zabini, wearing _pajamas_?"

Sally smiled now. "Well," she said, "I told you Zabini and I were friends up to Saturday night, right? Starting with that night, which happened to be my birthday, it kind of turned into… well, something more than that. And apparently Malfoy found out about that and got, er… _jealous_, I guess."

"_Jealous_?" repeated Hermione. "What do you mean? What did he do?"

Sally shrugged again. "Well, after he dragged me out of the common room, he, er… shouted at me a lot. Then he ripped off my clothes, set them on fire and left. Zabini found me quite a bit later and took me back to my House – after we found some pajamas for me to wear."

Hermione's eyes widened. "He did _what_? He _burned_ your clothes?"

Sally nodded, smiling cautiously as she did so.

Hermione seemed shocked. "And that hasn't convinced you yet that he's an evil, conniving, controlling and selfish monster who's capable of doing just about _anything_ to upset others?"

Sally humbly started staring at her fingernails again.

Hermione shook her head. "And believe me, Sally, Zabini isn't much better. He was probably on his best behavior since you were only friends, but now that it has become more than that, you'll find out _his_ true nature soon enough too."

Sally ventured a look up again. "Zabini isn't that bad," she defended him. "He's actually really nice!"

"No he isn't, Sally!" Hermione said harshly. "Do you know that he hates Muggle-borns as much as Malfoy does?"

"No he doesn't!" Sally exclaimed, agitated now. "_He_ doesn't hate Muggle-borns at all!"

"That's what he _wants_ you to think," said Hermione. "Believe me, Sally. I am a Muggle-born too, remember? And I've been living in this castle for 3 years before you even turned up. _He's just as bad, I'm telling you!_"

They stared at each other for a few minutes. Sally was shocked. She _had_ expected a negative reaction from Hermione, but she hadn't quite been prepared for _this_!

"Anyway," said Hermione. "We should probably get back to our work. Just think about what I said, will you, Sally?"

"Okay," Sally nodded, and they went to work.

"Sally," Hermione said, suddenly.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to know any way to magically breathe under water, do you?"

Sally shook her head. "No…why?"

"Nothing," said Hermione. "I was just wondering."

They went back to their school work. Then after about an hour had passed, the door suddenly opened, and Draco came in. He folded his arms and looked at the two studying girls.

"You done yet?" he inquired, a stern look on his face.

"Malfoy. What are _you_ doing here?" Hermione asked, irritated.

"I wasn't talking to _you_, Granger," Draco replied.

Hermione looked at Sally, who gave her an embarrassed smile as she tried to avert her eyes away from her. "I, er… I kind of… I kind of need to talk to him, Hermione," she stammered.

Hermione looked outraged, and slammed her books shut. "Fine!" she exclaimed. "_Fine_, I'll see you later, Sally. _Good luck!_" And she stormed out the door.

Draco watched her amusedly as she left. "Good riddance, that jumped-up M…" he seemed to swallow his words as he turned towards Sally. "Whatever," he finished.

Sally stared at him, a wary look on her face.

"I'm going to have to lock the door," he said. "I don't want any interruptions."

"Fine," she said, as he locked the door with his wand.

Then he strode over to her. "So, what's this I heard about you being '_over'_ me?" he asked, sneering at her.

"I take it you talked to Zabini?" she asked, observantly.

"Yes," he replied.

"Well, it's true, I guess."

He started laughing. "Is it now?"

His arrogance was insulting Sally. "Yes, it _is_!" she exclaimed harshly.

"Do you believe that yourself?" he said, a little more serious now, but still smiling.

She just stared at him, defiantly.

"So, er… how did _that_ happen, then? How did you manage to get… '_over'_… me?"

"Well," she started, "I have to admit, I was…a little upset after you broke up with me, back in January."

He had an annoying smirk on his face now. "A little upset?" he repeated. "Is that why you didn't turn up for classes for a week, and looked like you'd lost 10 lbs when you finally came back?"

She blushed. "Alright, so maybe I was more than a _little_…upset," she conceded. "Anyway. Then Zabini came to talk to me."

"Yes, I remember. And what exactly did _he_ have to say to you?"

"Well he, er… he just offered me his friendship, and a shoulder to cry on," she said quickly, still blushing somewhat.

He looked at her intently. "Ah. So _that_ was his angle?"

"Angle?" Sally said, puzzled.

"Angle. Yes, of course. What else? You didn't actually think he was just trying to be nice to you, do you?"

She just looked at him.

He grinned. "Sweetie," he said, a little friendlier now. "He's wanted to fuck you ever since you set foot in this castle!"

"What?"

He shook his head. "You're _so_ innocent," he said, putting his arm around her and pulling her close to him for a few seconds before letting go of her again. "I thought you must have realized by now that that's _all_ he's after! I even talked to him last night about it. I said that all he really wanted from you was to fuck you. Do you know what his reply was?"

She shook her head, a concerned expression spreading over her face.

"Alright, let me think. I believe his exact words were…'Yes. As a matter of fact, I do! And your stupid claim is being a royal pain in my neck!'" Draco laughed derisively as he waited for the words to sink in.

"He did _not_ say that!" she said, disbelievingly.

"I swear!"

"So how come he never even tried to kiss me until last Saturday, then?" she asked, slightly distressed.

"Obviously, because you wouldn't have let him. He was trying to make you trust him!"

She was looking away from him now, trying to figure out what all that meant. Wondering if she should believe him.

"You, er… you remember our little…'adventure' in that broom closet?" Draco continued, sniggering.

She turned to face him again. "Hard to forget," she replied.

"Well. I believe it was _him_ telling you to go back to me?"

"Yes," Sally said, while starting to experience a sinking feeling in her stomach.

He grinned broadly at her now. "Didn't you trust him _more_, after that? Didn't it make you feel that he was _not_ just after fucking you?"

She swallowed hard.

"With the added benefit, that now he was obviously entitled to some fun himself, with someone else?" He paused a minute. "And then _I_ kind of owed him a favor too, which he, by the way, let me know as soon as he got back to our common room."

"He didn't!" she snapped.

He laughed softly. "Oh yes he did, sweetie! He told me immediately that it was thanks to him that I got to 'have' you, and that I owed him for that!"

Sally was starting to feel nauseous. Was Hermione right after all? _Again?_

"Anyway," he said. "Let's get back to our original subject, alright? You were explaining how you managed to get _'over'_ me."

She just looked at him, speechless.

He grinned, and moved closer to her. "You're not _'over' _me at all, are you, sweetheart? You were… enjoying yourself too much yesterday."

'Shoot,' she thought to herself. He'd noticed! She blushed, once again, and tried not to look at him.

He put his arms around her. "Don't worry," he said, soothingly. "I'm not exactly 'over' you yet, either."

Then he kissed her. And his kiss awoke such an incredible passion inside her, that she felt overwhelmed by it. She put her arms around his neck and held on to him as if she never wanted to let go of him, ever again. And that's just how she felt.

Draco pulled back and looked at her with a triumphant smile. He _did_ it! He had conquered all the obstacles! The rest should be a piece of cake now. He'd get Zabini _off_ his back for good!

Sally stared at Draco. So Hermione had been right about Blaise. But what about Draco? Was she right about _him_ too? What had she called him again? An…an evil, conniving, controlling and selfish monster who's capable of doing just about _anything_ to upset others! What if she was right about _him_ too? Wasn't Hermione _always_ right? Sally took a step back and let go of Draco, a determined look on her face.

"So what about you?" she said softly. "Are you any better than Zabini, then? I'm guessing _you_ only have _'good'_ intentions?"

He frowned. "What happened to the sweet little girl I just kissed?" he said, somewhat disconcerted.

"You _hate_ Muggle-borns!" she said, louder now. "You _almost_ just called one of my best friends a jumped-up '_Mudblood'_ in my face! You've called _me_ a 'Mudblood' in my face before. You hurt me so bad, that I wasn't able to stop crying or eat for a week! You've _embarrassed_ me in front of the whole school! You dragged me out of my House. You ripped my clothes off of me and burned them before my eyes! And then you left me, when you knew I didn't have anything to cover myself with so I could get back to my House!"

"Well," he said, cautiously, "I figured you would realize you were in a _Room of Requirement._"

"Whatever!" she yelled at him. "I'm done! I'm done with both of you!"

She took her wand out, and removed the locking spell. Then she ran out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Draco sighed. It was going to take a little more effort after all.


	19. Disillusions

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Just before Draco got back to the Slytherin common room, he practically got jumped upon by Pansy.

"Draco, we need to talk!" she said.

'Now what,' he thought to himself. But, reluctantly, he went with her.

"Draco, what's going on?" she exclaimed. "What the _heck_ are you doing with that _Mudblood_?"

Draco sighed again. "Keep your hair on, Pansy," he said. "It's no big deal, ok?"

"It is!" she shouted. "Remember how you used to have a go at Zabini, when he first started seeing her? And now you are chasing after her yourself! A Mudblood! A _Mudblood_, Draco, you're chasing after a Mudblood!"

"I am _not_ chasing after her!" he said, irritated.

"Then what were you doing at Potions, teaming up with her?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to piss off Zabini," he said. "And besides, I'd like to fuck her too."

She looked at him, infuriated. "I understood you'd already done that! _What else do you want from her_?"

"So I'd like to do it again! What's wrong with that?"

"Everything!" she screamed. "Everything is wrong with that, Draco! I've _had_ it! I've had _enough_ of it! It's bad enough that you're fucking just about every female pure- and half-blood who will have you at the moment. But now you're starting on _Mudbloods_ too? You're supposed to be _my_ boyfriend, remember?"

He stared at her. This was the last thing he needed right now, Pansy making a big deal out if this. He was having a hard enough time with Sally as it was, without having to take Pansy into account too! But he couldn't really afford to lose Pansy, or his parents might start to become suspicious. Especially now he'd told everyone what he had done to Sally. Maybe he could take it a little slower? He didn't think she'd go back to Zabini that easily, after their conversation earlier, so it wouldn't hurt to take a little longer.

"Relax, Pansy, I _am_," he replied. "I'm just having a little fun. You _know_ you mean more to me than any of them. Particularly that Mudblood!"

"Then stop chasing her! I don't like it. In fact, I don't really like you fooling around with anyone else either!"

He smirked. He actually had no problem giving up any of the others. He didn't find any of them particularly interesting anyway, and he knew now he wasn't going to find anyone to replace Sally. So he might as well stick with Pansy. Yep, that was a concession he could easily make.

"Alright, alright!" he said. "I'm done, okay? I won't 'fool around' with anyone else anymore, if that makes you happy."

She looked surprised. "You won't?" she asked.

"I won't," he said. "I promise."

"Oh, Draco!" she exclaimed, and flew him around his neck.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, now don't go all soppy on me," he said, as he loosened her grip. "Let's go back!"

She let go of him and gave him a happy smile. He gave her a playful slap on her backside, as they went back to their common room.

The next morning at breakfast, Draco received an owl from his dad, with a letter attached.

Draco,

Your mother and I have been very disappointed to hear that you are apparently involved again with **that** Mudblood. I understand that you have been 'experimenting' with different girls, and that's okay. You're young, and naturally you'd like to see and taste what's out there. However, fooling around with Mudbloods isn't really an option in the first place. And considering your history, this **particular** one should be avoided even more.

We're expecting you to remedy this situation immediately, or I shall be forced to take alternate measures.

Your father,

Lucius Malfoy

Draco crumpled his letter into a heap. Shit, shit, shit! They'd already found out! And what the _hell_ was his father talking about? _What_ alternate measures? He rested his head in his hands. This was really screwing things up for him. He'd have to abandon the plan! He couldn't go ahead with it, he couldn't risk it. But he knew Zabini wouldn't give up. 'Shoot,' he thought. Why now? And why had he been so stupid to announce to the world what he'd been up to with Sally? He should have seen this coming!

He'd have to write back. He'd tell his father he really _wasn't_ involved with her. He'd tell him he merely announced to everyone that he'd fucked her, just to upset her, but that he was referring to the time before Christmas, and that it hadn't happened again. That should make his father happier. And it was barely even a lie! He really _hadn't _done much with her. Not counting the broom-closet episode, of course, but that was so long ago, it could really be counted as part of his before-Christmas relationship.

Well, except… there was that one lousy little kiss. He sighed. Yes, unfortunately that was all it had been. Just that one kiss. And now it looked like that was all it was ever _going_ to be. He had wanted to do so much more. And he still did! But it was starting to look less and less likely. In fact, he doubted it was _ever_ going to happen anymore. He just couldn't take the risk.

----------

Sally in the meantime, had decided she'd keep her meeting with Blaise that afternoon, but she'd tell him she didn't want to see him anymore, and then that would be that. She'd been very upset the night before, and had been crying again. That kiss with Draco still made her shiver. It had been so good, almost like the way it used to be. And it had brought back all those memories. She wondered if he'd been speaking the truth. Was he _really_ not over her yet? It had certainly seemed like he still wanted her!

And there was no doubt that she wanted _him_, more than anything. But she couldn't just forget everything that had happened before, could she? He'd been positively foul and evil to her, and she had to remind herself of that. She couldn't let herself fall for him again; she'd just be setting herself up for more heartache. Which was the last thing she needed right now! She'd be better off on her own.

But for right now, she'd have to concentrate on Blaise Zabini.

When classes had ended for the day, she made her way to the entrance hall. She knew she would find him there, and she did.

"Hey sweetie!" he said cheerfully. Then a little softer, "Did you see Malfoy yet?"

"Yes," Sally replied, looking somber.

"Hmm," he said. "Didn't go too well? Judging by the look on your face?"

"I guess you could say that," she said, with a wry smile.

He gave her a hug. "Oh well, who cares," he said. "Let's go somewhere. Hey, how about we go to that room you were in the other day?"

"What?" she replied, shocked, "The Room of Requirement?"

"Yes, that one!" he grinned.

"No," she said. "I can't. I don't want to go there!"

"Why not?" he asked.

"I just don't, okay?" she said, not willing to explain that she had too many memories with Draco there.

He looked at her sharply. "Hmm," he said. "Fine. Whatever. We'll go somewhere else."

They were walking through the hallways, passing an empty class room.

"Here, this will do," said Sally as she pulled him inside.

He looked around, and shrugged. "Well, alright. Not exactly that comfortable, though, but if you insist!"

"It's comfortable enough!" she said icily.

"Fine," he replied, with a puzzled look on his face.

He tried to kiss her, but Sally pushed him away.

"Blaise," she said.

"Yes?" he replied.

"What do _you_ think about Muggle-borns?"

He stared at her. Alright. Something was up. Clearly. "What do you mean?"

"I would just…like to know your opinion on Muggle-borns."

"Well, er… I don't care, really. You're one, aren't you? And I like _you_. A lot, in fact."

"_Really_," she replied, sarcastically.

"You actually doubt that?"

"You're sure you don't just want to, er… _fuck_ me?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Malfoy's claim is kind of, like, a royal pain in your neck, isn't it?"

He understood. Draco had been squealing on him. Bastard! He didn't reply, just continued looking at her.

"Well?" she said. "Isn't that what you said to him?"

He gritted his teeth. "Yes," he said. "But it's taken out of context! I didn't mean that the way it sounds!"

"Didn't you?" she said.

"No I didn't!"

She shrugged. "Oh well," she said. "But oh, by the way, did Malfoy pay his debt to you back yet?"

"_What_ debt," he replied.

"The broom-closet," she said. "He owed you for that, didn't he?"

He stared at her some more, then he said, "Oh for crying out loud, Sally, Malfoy is being a jerk!" He paused for a second. Then he said, "He's just trying to make me look bad so he can win this bet!"

Sally's eyes opened wide in surprise. "_What_ bet?" she said.

Blaise grinned at her. "Why, he didn't tell you about that? Told you just about everything else, but kept his mouth shut about that one, did he?"

"_What bet_," Sally repeated.

"He seemed pretty convinced he could still get you to suck his cock," he answered.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Sally, stunned.

Blaise sneered. "Just out of interest, Sally, did you?"

"No! Of _course_ I didn't!"

"Did you do anything else to him?"

"No! No, no, no! I didn't do _anything_ to him!"

"Hmm, I guess he didn't win then. Not yet, anyway."

Sally was gasping for air. She couldn't believe it! The audacity! She felt a lump in her throat. "You are…you are joking, aren't you?" she stammered.

"Nope. It's the truth! Ask him if you will."

'Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness!' she thought. Hermione had been right! So right! She was so ashamed of herself now! It had all been a show! And she'd almost fallen for it too! She was _so_ stupid!

She turned away from Blaise. She couldn't look at him anymore.

"Sally," he whispered softly. "Sally, I… "

"Don't!" she replied, not looking at him. "Don't talk to me anymore. I've had enough. I'm done. With both you _and_ Malfoy! Please leave me alone!"

He looked at her for a few moments longer, while she was staring at the wall. Then he left. As soon as he was gone, Sally crumbled into a heap on the floor and cried.

----------

Blaise regretted what he'd said to Sally almost immediately. It obviously hadn't sounded good for Malfoy, but it didn't exactly make _him_ look very good, either! But he'd just been so pissed at Malfoy for spilling the beans on him that he'd wanted to make _him_ look bad too, and it had kind of flown out of his mouth before he could stop himself. He really could kick himself now!

Over the next few days, he tried to talk to her, but she ignored him completely. She wouldn't even listen to him. Not that he could blame her, but he really wanted to explain. He felt horrible! And that was a totally new sensation to him, he'd never felt horrible about anything he did before. Nevertheless, she seemed to be determined not to speak to him.

His only consolation was that she didn't seem to be talking to Malfoy anymore either, although for some reason _he_ wasn't even trying. In fact, Malfoy seemed to be trying to stay out of _her_ way as much as she was trying to stay out of _their_ way. He _did_ wonder what was being said during that meeting between him and her. Malfoy wouldn't talk to him about it, and whenever he tried to talk to him about Sally, or the bet, he would change the subject.

After a while, he decided to give it a rest. It seemed to be a lost cause right now, so he thought he'd be better off just giving up and going back to his life from before he'd gotten involved with her. Maybe one day he'd get the opportunity to explain. But he wasn't going to wait around for that any longer.

----------

Sally, in the meantime, had made up her mind. She was whole-heartedly taking Hermione's advice, and would not talk to either of them anymore. But although Blaise had certainly _tried_ to talk to her, Draco hadn't. He seemed to have gone back to his old self, and treated her like she didn't even exist. She assumed that must be because Blaise had probably told him that he'd told _her_ about the bet, so he realized there was no chance of him winning that bet now, and had therefore lost interest. Whatever, she was done with it. She knew every word he had said in McGonagall's classroom had been false, and intended just to get him to win that bet.

She had been upset about it, sure, but at least she had come out of it with her dignity intact this time; she hadn't given in after all, and she was immensely happy about that! And she felt like she owed it all to Hermione.

Sally hadn't seen Hermione since that day when their meeting was disturbed by Draco, as Hermione appeared to be busy with something. That weekend the second task of the Triwizard Tournament took place, in which Hermione appeared to play a role as the thing most important to the Durmstrang champion, Victor Krum. Sally assumed that must have had something to do with the fact that Hermione had been too busy to see Sally.

When they finally did get together for their lessons again, Hermione _did_ bring up the subject of Draco and Blaise. It had been over a week since Sally had stopped talking to them.

"So, er… Sally, I see you took my advice about the Slytherins?" Hermione had said.

Sally had started to blush. "Yes," she had said. "I guess you were right. I should have listened to you sooner!"

Hermione had shrugged her shoulders. "Well," she'd said. "You couldn't have, since I hadn't told you that much about it before. I wish I _had_ now, though!"

They'd gone back to work after that, and that was all Hermione ever said about it.

Sally never explained anything to her Ravenclaw friends. They all realized that she obviously had broken up with Blaise, and that he was not exactly thrilled about that, judging by the fact that he was doing whatever he could to talk to her and was failing miserably. But they never found out the reason, since she refused to tell, and Blaise wasn't telling either.

She refused to explain about Draco, nor did she talk about the pajama-party. She told everyone that that had been an episode in her life she really didn't want to be reminded of again. Obviously, rumors were rife for a while. But they eventually started dying down as everyone went back to their normal lives.

Sally also now refused to wear anything Draco had ever bought her. She had chucked everything in the trunk he'd got her, and hadn't touched it. She had had to make up an excuse for that, since that had certainly raised some eyebrows. She'd told them that she was missing her cousin and didn't want to be reminded of him by wearing the stuff he'd bought her. Most people seemed to think this highly peculiar, but, to her relief, didn't seem to question it too much.

One thing _had_ changed for her, though! Whenever she didn't see Hermione after classes, she'd go to the Room of Requirement now. She loved it there! It would turn into a beautiful room for her, large, with mirrors all around, and beautiful music playing. Usually exactly the kind of music she was in the mood for, and she would just dance.


	20. Clarification

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Draco was having the hardest time of all. He was truly miserable. He knew what he wanted, and he knew he couldn't have it. It was an experience he'd never had to deal with before in his life, and he didn't like it. But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing at all. All he could do was to try and avoid Sally as much as possible, so he wouldn't be reminded of her too much. Of course he couldn't avoid her completely, and he felt an impossibly burning desire whenever he laid eyes on her, which made him ache inside.

She hadn't tried to talk to him. Not that he had expected her to. He _did_ think he could get her to warm up to him again if he wanted to, and made the effort. He'd made some progress after all, in the transfiguration classroom at the time; she was definitely not '_over'_ him, he was certain of that, he had felt it in her kiss that day.

But he couldn't. It was best if he just left things the way they were.

He was taking it out on everyone around him, though. Poor Pansy had to endure the brunt of it. True, he had kept his promise to her and had left all other girls in the castle alone, and she seemed to be grateful for that. But he didn't really want to spend too much time with _her_ either, and had let her know that. He'd told her he needed more time 'with the boys' and that she was cramping his style. She seemed to have resigned herself to that. He guessed she thought he was making enough concessions as it was, by his being totally faithful to her.

He was happy to see that at least Blaise had lost out on Sally too. His allegations against him had clearly worked, although he was surprised she was so adamant, and hadn't at least heard him out. It was pretty clear Blaise had tried to talk to her on many occasions, but she hadn't given in, and appeared to have gone back to the life she had when she had first arrived at Hogwarts, all studying and no fun. At least that was one thing in his life Draco could be happy about.

But it was only a small consolation, since he so badly wanted her back!

Many months passed, and summer would start in a few weeks. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and after classes had finished for the day, most kids went outside to enjoy the sunshine. Draco wasn't in the mood to go out. He was miserable, as usual, and in a particularly melancholic mood.

He'd wandered up to the 7th floor corridor, reminiscing about the days he used to stay there with Sally, when he heard a noise. He quickly dived behind one of the suits of armor, and saw Sally walk up to the door of the Room of Requirement.

His heart started beating faster. What was _she_ doing here? He saw her go in, and when the door started to close behind her, he charged forward and stuck his wand through the door opening, thereby preventing the door from closing completely. He waited a little while, to ensure she hadn't seen him. Then he peeked through the opening. He heard the music first. Beautiful, soft, slow music. He saw mirrors, everywhere. She was dancing!

He spent some time watching her, admiring her. For a moment, he was reminded about a different day, when he had watched her dance from another hiding spot. He closed his eyes and imagined what she had looked like then, since at that time she hadn't actually been wearing any clothes. The memory came back to him clear as a bell, and he felt himself getting aroused.

It was as if a wild beast had awoken inside him, that he could no longer control. He _had_ to have her. He _had_ to, here, and now. He could no longer resist the temptation; it had become stronger than him. So he charged inside and closed the door behind him. He practically ran up to her, took her in his arms and started kissing her passionately.

----------

Sally was completely and utterly bewildered. What was going on? Where did _he_ come from? She tried to push him away, pounded on his chest, but he would not move. He had one of his hands in her hair and pulled it a little so that her head was in the right position for him to kiss. His other arm was around her shoulders, and had pulled her close to him. He kissed her for a long time, while she was trying to hit and kick him. When she finally relaxed a bit, he pulled back from her and gazed at her with an annoying smile on his face.

"My, aren't we a little wildcat today!" he smirked.

"What the…what the hell are you doing here?" she exclaimed, highly affronted.

"It seems I just found you," he said, amused.

She stared at him as she was, unsuccessfully, trying to push away from him. "What do you think you're doing? Let me go!"

"No. I let you go of you for too long. I need you. I need you now!"

'Wow,' Sally thought. He must be the most arrogant person in history. "So you think you can just come charging in here and do whatever you like with me?"

"Pretty much, yes."

She couldn't _believe_ his insolence. "Don't be ridiculous. I won't let you!"

"Yes you will."

"What makes you think that?"

"You like me. I know you do! And don't even _try_ to deny it." He was still smiling his annoying smile.

She tried to reach for her wand, but he was faster than her and stopped her.

"And don't even try _that_, either," he said.

"What are you going to do, _rape_ me?" she said.

"Don't be silly," he replied. "I would never. You know that!"

She noticed that, for some reason, his eyes were shining brightly. "What's wrong with you?" she said, "Do you have another bet or something? Or are you still working on that first one?"

He looked surprised now. "Bet?"

"Yes! Yes, your bet!"

When she saw his confused look, she added, "Your bet with Zabini, remember? Back in February?"

He finally seemed to get it. "Oh, _that_ one!" he laughed. "Why, how do _you_ know about that?"

She was really puzzled now. She'd been sure Blaise had told him she knew about it. Wasn't that why he had stayed away from her? _And why did he seem to think it was actually funny_?

"You think that's funny?" she said, insulted.

"Well, kind of," he grinned. "I'm surprised you know about it. Did Zabini tell you?"

"Yes, of course he did, didn't he tell you?"

"No. I haven't really been talking to Zabini about you anymore."

She gazed into his grinning face. So she hadn't even been important enough to discuss anymore! She stamped on his toe, hard.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?" He briefly let go of her.

"You're the most arrogant prat I've ever met!" she shouted at him as she made a beeline for the door.

He was fast. He'd drawn out his wand and had locked the door just before she got to it, and she pulled on it fruitlessly.

He just stood there, watching her. "Why are you trying to get away from me?" he asked her, with an unfathomable expression on his face.

She stopped pulling at the door and gaped at him with astonishment. Surely no one could be _that_ arrogant? She took a few steps towards him. "You're not actually serious, are you?"

He looked at her, but didn't say anything.

"You told Zabini that you were convinced you could still get me to suck your cock, and then you made a bet with him about that. And you think that's funny? You don't think that that's even slightly conceited? And you expect me to just go along with that? That's all perfectly normal to you?"

He stared at her, for a few moments only. Then he burst out laughing.

Sally was livid. "I'm glad you find that funny!" she yelled. "But I don't! Now open that door, so I can get out of here! I have no intention to suck your cock or do anything of the sort. So there's really no point in keeping me here!"

"Sally," he said, through his laughter. "Sally, Sally. Is that really how he brought that? He sure has a way of turning things around!"

She didn't say anything.

He still chuckled a bit. "Sweetheart," he said. "It wasn't anything like that! Yes we did have a bet, but it was quite a bit different!"

"Then how _was_ it," she said, irritated.

"Come here," he said, as he put an arm around her. "Let me explain. Don't you have a chair in here? And what's with all the mirrors?" He looked at her.

"No I don't have a chair," she said. "And never mind about the mirrors. Explain."

"Alright, alright," he said. "Zabini and I were having a little… conversation about you. About that afternoon you spent in his _bed_!"

He was no longer laughing or smiling now, and looked at her accusingly as he spoke the last sentence, as if she had highly insulted him by spending time in Blaise's bed.

"Alright, so what?" she said.

"You had no business being there," he said, with an angry look on his face.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes. "Get on with it."

"Anyway, he was trying to convince me that if it hadn't been for my claim, he would have fucked you that afternoon."

"Yeah, like hell he would!" Sally exclaimed.

Draco grinned. "That's my girl!" he said, as he pulled her into a hug.

She pulled herself free. "Continue," she said, giving him an icy look.

"So I was kind of… wondering if anything else had happened. You know, things that aren't affected by my claim?"

"Like what your bet was about?" Sally asked.

"Exactly," he grinned.

"No!" she said. "None of that happened!"

"Right," he said. "So he told me. And that made me doubt the validity of his original statement. You know, whether he would have fucked you if it hadn't been for my claim."

He was still grinning. He seemed to find all this highly amusing. "And then he claimed that _I_ wouldn't have been able to achieve much in his situation, either. This is where I, er… disagreed."

"And then you made this… bet?" she said.

"Yes," he said. "We agreed that er… if I managed to get you to do something to me, he would stay away from you from then on. And if _he_ did, I'd tell you that you could take off my claim."

"But that's outrageous!" she exclaimed. She wasn't amused at all.

He looked at her apologetically. "Well, not really," he said. "I had to find _some_ way of keeping him away from you! This seemed like the ideal opportunity."

"Why," she said, puzzled, "would you want to find a way of keeping him away from me?"

Now it was his turn to look surprised. "Why do you think?" he said. "Because I don't want him touching you! In fact, I don't want _anyone_, aside from me, touching you. And I certainly didn't want him to go any further then he already had! I _had_ to find a way to stop him!"

"But I don't understand," Sally said. "Why would you even care?"

He gaped at her, like it was totally impossible for her not to understand that. "Isn't that obvious?"

"No," she said. "No, it is not!"

"Sally, I…" he began. But he didn't seem to be able to finish. "I just… I mean…"

He seemed to be at a loss for words, which was extremely unusual. She hadn't actually thought that that was possible.

"I just don't want that!" he said, finally. "Okay?"

She looked at him, nonplussed.

"Sally," he elaborated, as he put his arms around her. "The thought of you being touched by someone else, gives me the creeps! It makes me feel nauseous. I hate it! And it makes me angry too." He laughed softly. "As you may have noticed."

She smiled sourly. "Yes, I think I noticed that." Then, in a different tone, "Do you, er… always feel that way? With other girls too?"

He grinned at her, as he hugged her tight. "No," he said resolutely, "just with you."

She looked at his eyes. They sparkled. He started kissing her neck, pulling the straps of her shirt down as he did so. She let him, and she felt a shiver going through her body. He _did_ care about her, he _really_ did!

He left soft kisses all around her neck and the top of her chest, as his hands crept under her shirt and gently stroked her belly for a while. Sally let out a sigh. Merlin, he sure knew how to make her feel good!

She experienced a tingling feeling as one of his hands came up underneath her bra and cupped her breast, his thumb circling her nipple. She had a hard time controlling herself. The urge to touch him became overwhelming, and before she could stop it, her own hands were exploring _his_ body underneath his shirt.

He pulled away for a moment, and looked intently at her. "Sally," he said, finally.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Let's get out of here. I _like_ the mirrors, but, er… it's not exactly comfortable in here, is it?"

She giggled softly. "Oh, alright!" she replied.

They left, and came straight back. The room had transformed into the room she used to know so well, but with a few mirrors added.

"Merlin," she exclaimed. "You _did_ like the mirrors, didn't you?"

He grinned at her, then picked her up, put her on the bed and started removing her clothes as fast as he could. Within moments, he was naked too, and they started playing around. Within moments, Sally had an orgasm. Her first, since the broom-closet episode in January.

Soon after that he climbed on top of her, and stared into her eyes as he entered her. Sally gasped. The feeling was incredible. It had been so long… She hugged him tight and moved with him until they both went over the edge together.

"Sally," he whispered. "Sally, Sally! I missed you _so_ much, you have no idea!"

"I missed you too, Draco," she whispered back. "I missed you too!"

He pushed up and leaned on his elbows. Then he said, "Sally, promise me something,"

"What?" she said.

He held his breath. "Promise me," he said, looking at her intently. "Promise me, that whatever happens, you will never, _ever_, take off my claim!"

She stared back at him. She knew that that was an extremely unfair thing to ask of her. Yet, she was so happy being with him here at the moment, that she just couldn't imagine herself with anybody else, ever! No, she'd rather be alone than be without him.

"I promise," she breathed.

----------

Draco smiled, and breathed freely again. Then he put down his arms and kissed her. He kissed her as if it was the last kiss he would ever give her.

And then, with a stab, he realized that it very possibly could be.

Later on, as they were all dressed and ready to leave, she turned to face him. "Draco?"

"Yes?" he answered cautiously. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"So what… what happens now?"

"Nothing. Nothing happens now. Everything is going to have to be the way it was before."

She swallowed hard and nodded. "Ok," she said, looking away from him.

He looked at her, took her face in his hands and pulled it gently towards him. He noticed tears had started to swell up in her eyes. "Don't," he said. "Sally, please don't!"

"I… I can't help it," she said, as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why?" she cried. "Why, Draco, why?"

He grimaced. "You _know_ why! I _have_ to be with a pure-blood girl. And you're not!"

She shook her head. "Is it _that_ important to you?"

"_Yes_," he said. "Yes, it is. I don't expect you to understand, but it is. It is more important than anything!"

She sighed. "Fine," she said. "Fine! But it seems so terribly unfair!"

He sighed too. That, it was, he thought to himself. But there was nothing, absolutely nothing he could do about that, even if he wanted to. And he didn't. _Did he?_


	21. End of Term

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: I have started a poll on my profile page.**

**Sally will be meeting Voldemort in the summer before her 7****th**** year at Hogwarts, when she'll be 17 years old. Right now, since I have split a few very long chapters, it looks like we will see him in chapter 31 or 32 (maybe even 33).**

**Alternatively, though, I can summarize and shorten the events that occur in the next two years, and cut down on the number of chapters, in which case we will see that first meeting much sooner than that.**

**So, if you could please go to my profile page and vote on what you would prefer? Thank you!**

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And thus everything went back to normal after that. They both acted like nothing ever happened. Draco continued seeing Pansy, and Sally continued going to the Room of Requirement. Although often, now, instead of dancing, she would just sit, and listen to the music, as she let her thoughts run away with her.

Draco acted more normal than he felt, too. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he had a really hard time with it. He'd dream about Sally every night, and just couldn't get her out of his mind.

Then, as the final day of term before the summer vacation was approaching, he'd come to a decision. He would go and talk to her.

----------

And so it was, that on the last afternoon of the term, Draco once again turned up at the Room of Requirement. Sally was there. She almost hadn't been, as she had been debating whether she should pack instead.

But she decided she could wait with that, and pack later.

She spotted him right away.

"What's up," she said, as she approached the tapestry.

He smiled. "We need to talk."

She sighed. "If you're looking for some end-of-term sex, the answer is no."

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, whatever. Let's just talk!"

They went inside and found a room with a couple of comfy chairs in it.

"Alright," he started immediately. "Sally, I've been thinking. I really don't want to be without you. I've gotten quite… _attached_ to you."

She looked at him, puzzled.

He smiled at her. "Let's just…let's just keep meeting, occasionally. Okay? As long as no one finds out! We have to be extra, extra careful. But I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do this!"

"Hmm," she frowned. "Just like before Christmas, you mean?"

"Well, not _exactly_ like that," he said, hopeful. "But somewhat like that, yeah!"

"But what about Pansy? Aren't you with her, still?"

Now _he_ frowned. "Yes, and she has to stay."

"You're going to be having sex with her too?"

"I have to."

She shook her head.

He looked at her, sharply now. "She _has_ to stay. I can't give her up! She's a pure-blood, and she's supposed to be my, er… well, whatever. _Partner_."

Sally narrowed her eyes. "Right!" she spat. "She's supposed to be your _wife_, one day, isn't she? Your decent, respectable, pure-blood _wife_, right? And what does that make _me_, then? I'm allowed to hang on, so you can fuck me in secret every now and then, when you feel like it? Is that your plan for _my_ future?"

He folded his arms. "Who said anything about marriage? That's way, way, _way_ off! Years and years! And who knows what's going to happen! The whole world might have changed. In fact, the whole world probably _will_ have changed by then. Being my, er… _mistress_, might be the best thing you could possibly hope for at _that_ time!" He grinned, as he reached out to her. "It _could_ even save your life."

Sally's eyes opened wide with shock. "What…what are you talking about?" she stammered.

"What do you _think_ I'm talking about? When the Dark Lord takes over… And he _will_, there's no doubt about that, _all_ Mudbloods will be in trouble, you included. It won't be such a bad thing for you to have some… _protection_."

Sally was shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you… are you serious?" she stammered.

He walked up to her. "Yes, of course I am serious! He's going to be back. In fact, he's probably back already!"

"And you're… you're _happy_ about that?"

He grinned. "Of course I am! It'll be the best thing! Everything will be the way it's supposed to be. Everybody will _finally_ know their place!"

"Yeah, I suppose all Mudbloods will know their place too, right?"

"Well," he said. "I doubt many of them will survive. But some will, obviously. And they will have to know their place, yes."

He had managed to infuriate her. "You know what?" she yelled. "If that happens, then I hope I'll be one of the ones that _don't_ survive! I'd rather _die_ than live in a world like that, under… under this… this Dark Lord!"

He stared at her as if she'd gone mad. "You don't really mean that," he said softly.

"Oh, I _so_ mean that!" she spat. "And if there'll ever be a war, I will be fighting. I'd rather fight, than succumb to anyone like… like that Dark Lord!"

He looked at her, astounded. "_You, fight?_ Sweetheart, you won't last a minute!"

"Don't call me sweetheart!" she screamed. "In fact, don't call me anything at all! Ever again! _Ever!_ Do you hear me?"

She turned around, slammed the door behind her, and ran off, tears streaming down her face. This was worse, worse then she could ever have imagined. This was very possibly the worst thing that could have happened to her.

She managed to pack her trunk. She was going to take it home, and leave it there when she came back next year. She should throw everything away, but somehow she couldn't. But if she left it at home, at least next year she didn't have to look at it all the time. She did _not_ want to go to the end-of-year feast. She was not in the mood for a feast.

Especially not since the 'feast' was unlikely to cheer her up, since some weird things had happened, and someone had died during the last task of the Triwizard Tournament. What was his name again? Oh yeah, Cedric. Cedric Diggory. Something about this boy called Harry Potter. One of Hermione's best friends. Maybe she should go? Maybe it had something to do with what Draco just talked about, with this Dark Lord coming back? 'Oh my goodness,' she thought. Oh my goodness. This _had_ to be a dream. A nightmare! She would wake up soon, she had to! This was all just _way_ too bizarre.

She ended up going to the feast anyway. And she was right, it did _not_ cheer her up. Professor Dumbledore had made a speech, and apparently the Dark Lord, or Lord Voldemort as _he_ called him, _was_ indeed back. And he _had_ killed Cedric Diggory. And Harry Potter had been there when that had happened. She saw Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table with him and this other boy, Ron Weasley. They looked distraught. She glanced a look at the Slytherin table too. They didn't seem half as upset as the rest of the school, although she had to say, Draco _did_ seem kind of quiet.

On the train back to King's Cross the next day she decided she was going to study even harder. She had made great progress this past year, and had almost caught up to third year level. But next year she'd be starting her fifth year, which was O.W.L. year, and to pass that she'd have to be up-to-par with the other fifth years. And if everything was true what she had heard over the last few days, she had _another_ reason to catch up as soon as possible, one even _more_ important than O.W.L.'s…


	22. A New School Year

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Alright, I have managed to cut out quite a bit. It looks like I'll be able to shorten each year so that there will only be two chapters for each, and one for the summer before Sally's seventh year. So I reckon we'll see Voldy probably in chapter 26 or 27. After that the rest of the story will be full-length again.**

**Now I wish to thank my reviewers, Donalee and FairiEMoon. Thanks so much for reviewing! And FairiEMoon, Draco and Sally will definitely get together again at some point. There will be feelings between them throughout the story. But it won't be easy, they will run into some pretty major obstacles…**

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Sally was in a good mood. It was September, and she was going back to school.

It had been a surprisingly good summer for her, as she had found a job. She had worked as a 'busgirl' at a local restaurant, cleaning tables after the patrons had dined on them. She had managed to make a fair amount of money, including some nice tips. Most of it, she was embarrassed to say though, she had spent.

She had been living with her father, who had been mostly absent, which had suited Sally perfectly.

With all the money she had earned over the summer, she had felt rich! She'd never had money before in her life, and it had been a _great_ feeling. She'd bought herself a new trunk (she refused to use the one that Draco had bought for her), and actually had some stuff now to fill it with too! She had new books, new school robes, and _lots_ of new clothes. She had also grown a bit over the summer. She was no longer rail-thin, but had filled out nicely. Even her breasts had gone up a cup size! She sure had been turning a few heads lately.

But Sally was concerned about what was going on in the wizarding world. She wasn't exactly sure what was happening with the return of this Lord Voldemort, as she hadn't been in touch with any of her magical friends over the summer, since none of them used telephones or mail. She intended to find out as soon as possible now, though.

She had wanted to be prepared for her new year at Hogwarts, so she had studied a lot. She had now covered most of the material of the first two years, and had studied some of the third year material over the summer. Last year she had been in the 4th year, so once she was through the third year material, she should be somewhat up-to-date. And that was a good thing, since she wanted to be prepared for her O.W.L.'s at the end of the year. Besides, if a war was to break out, she needed to be ready, since apparently Lord Voldemort was expected to target Muggle-borns like her.

She had arrived at the barrier to platform 9 ¾. It was a hot day, so she wasn't wearing a lot of clothes. She was wearing a fairly short, black skirt which showed off her long, shapely legs. She also wore a tight pink top, which was cut low, showing some cleavage, something she was actually somewhat proud of, since she'd never had any 'cleavage' before! She smiled to herself. Now, how was she supposed to go through this barrier again? She had to run right? She hoped a fast walk would be sufficient, since she had a little trouble running in those heels she was wearing.

----------

Lucius Malfoy was talking to Gregory Goyle's father, while their sons were standing nearby. They had a pleasant conversation until Mr. Goyle suddenly stared at something behind Lucius Malfoy's back.

"Merlin," he exclaimed. "Hogwarts sure holds some pretty girls these days!"

Lucius Malfoy turned around, and gazed at this beautiful girl. The girl seemed oblivious to all the attention she was receiving, and chatted happily to the people she walked past. Draco Malfoy and his friend, Gregory Goyle, had also stopped talking and turned her way at the exclamation of Mr. Goyle.

Gregory Goyle smirked when he spotted her. "Yes, that's Sally Perks," he said. "Why, she looks even better this year!"

"_Sally Perks?_" exclaimed Lucius Malfoy.

"Yes," he grinned. And then, looking at his father, "Draco actually f… well he er… you know what I mean, he did 'it' with her, last year. The lucky bastard!"

Mr. Goyle looked at Draco. "_Really_? Did you, Draco?"

Draco looked grumpy, but nodded nevertheless, refusing to look the man in the eye.

Mr. Goyle smiled and looked at Draco with admiration. "Hmm… well done, boy! Are you still with her?" Then a thought seemed to occur to him, and he added, "Wait a minute, I thought you were with Pansy Parkinson?"

"I _am_," replied Draco. "I broke up with the Perks girl."

"You broke up with her?" said Mr. Goyle. "Why would you do _that_?"

Lucius Malfoy entered the conversation. "Well, obviously because she's a Mudblood! He just _used_ her, of course. And then he cast her aside, like a good son ought to do with scum like that."

"She's a _Mudblood_?" said Mr. Goyle, gazing at Sally. "Ahh. But what a shame! So…how did you manage to break up with her then, Draco?"

Draco shrugged, but Gregory Goyle was beaming. "It was unbelievable, dad!" he exclaimed. "I was there! He just looked her right in her face and told her he didn't talk to Mudbloods!"

Lucius Malfoy was beaming. "That's my boy!" he exclaimed, "Putting those Mudbloods in their place!"

Mr. Goyle was still glancing at Sally with a lustful expression on his face. "Hm. For her, though, I would have made an exception."

Lucius Malfoy frowned. "Of course not, why would you make an exception for a _whore_ like that?"

Mr. Goyle looked back again at Draco and grinned. "A whore? Is she Draco? Does she have a lot of… _lovers_?"

"No," said Draco simply.

Lucius Malfoy snorted. "You wouldn't know that, Draco, would you? You have no idea how many _Muggles_ she's gone through before _you_ had her!"

"None," Draco replied.

Mr. Goyle raised his eyebrows, still grinning. "Are you saying you were her first, Draco?"

"Yes," said Draco as he turned away. He had enough of this conversation, it made him feel uncomfortable.

But Mr. Goyle wasn't about to give up. "You claimed her then, boy?"

Draco stared at him, unwilling to answer the question, since he didn't want his father to know the answer. But he was saved by his father who chose to answer for him.

"Of course he didn't!" he snapped. "What's the point of claiming a Mudblood? He doesn't care what she does _after_ him, do you Draco?"

Draco was spared the lie that he undoubtedly would have had to tell, once again by Mr. Goyle.

Mr. Goyle chuckled. "Mudblood or no, I certainly would have claimed that girl if I were him. Look at her! Tell me, Lucius, look at her and tell me you don't find her attractive!"

They all looked at her. "She's a nice piece of ass. A trophy, no more than that," Lucius replied. "And she's definitely a whore! Look how she's displaying her… assets!"

"I'm looking, I'm looking!" said Mr. Goyle with a smirk.

Draco couldn't help feeling a pang of contempt as he now looked at the man staring at the girl Draco considered to be _his_. And he wished Sally had chosen her clothes with a little more discretion.

----------

Once on the train Sally joined her Ravenclaw friends. They chatted happily about their summer. Then after a while, she thought she'd go check to see if she could find Hermione. She was looking forward to seeing her again and telling _her_ all about her summer, too. So she got up and left, after informing her friends what she was going to do.

Sally was walking through the train, checking the compartments as she was passing them, looking for Hermione. However, at some point, after she walked through the barrier between two train cars, she suddenly found herself face to face with three Slytherins, who seemed to be checking out the compartments too.

"Well," said a grinning Draco. "Look who we've got here, boys! Ms. Perks!"

Sally didn't reply. She thought she'd just try and get by as quickly as possible, but he was blocking her way, as he was checking out her appearance.

"Hmm," he said. "New clothes, huh? Little _trashy_, but still, they're new. New shoes, new jewelry…"

He touched her necklace in a seductive way as he said this, staring into her eyes at the same time. She slapped his hand away.

"Oooh, touchy, aren't we?" he grinned. "So you've obviously come into some money, haven't you? How did that happen, did you find yourself another rich boyfriend?" He was speaking with an icy tone in his voice now.

"No," she said, agitated. "I got a job over the summer."

"A job!" he exclaimed. "You _worked_? Why tell me, what did you do?"

"I… I cleaned tables in a restaurant," she stammered.

"You cleaned tables!" He laughed derisively. "For _Muggles_, I suppose?"

"Yes," she said, defiantly.

He laughed at her some more, with a scornful look in his eyes. Then he leaned over close to her. "If you had taken me up on my offer last year, you would have _never_ had to sink as low as that," he whispered in her ear.

She scoffed. "I _liked_ my job!" she said. "And at least now, everything I own is _truly_ mine!"

This was a jab at the time last year when he had burned some of her clothes, saying that they were actually _his_ since _he_ had bought them for her.

He raised his eyebrows. Then he shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, as he stood aside to let her pass. Crabbe and Goyle stood aside too, leering at her as she passed.

Draco gave them an angry stare. "Keep your eyes to yourself!" he snarled, as soon as she was out of earshot.

----------

Sally finally found Hermione. She was in a compartment with some other people, amongst which a girl from Sally's House, Luna Lovegood. Hermione's friends Harry and Ron were there too.

Hermione introduced her to Ginny, who was Ron Weasley's younger sister, and Neville Longbottom, a round faced boy who was protectively holding a plant.

Sally got to tell everyone about her summer, and they told her about theirs. Apparently theirs had been quite a bit more interesting than hers, albeit not half as much fun.

It seemed that Harry Potter was being chastised by the Ministry, who apparently didn't believe that Lord Voldemort was back, and the wizarding newspaper was trying to make him come off as unstable, something a lot of the wizarding community seemed inclined to believe. In addition he'd had to fight of dementors during his summer, some kind of creature Sally had never heard of before, but sounded particularly unpleasant.

Eventually, Sally went back to her own compartment and stayed there until the end of the journey.

----------

Once back at Hogwarts, Sally was happily chatting away with her fellow students. They got to the entrance hall when she was telling a story so animatedly, that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going.

"Sally, look out!" exclaimed one of her friends, with a shocked expression on her face.

Sally turned around, but it was too late and she ran right into Blaise Zabini, who caught her neatly into his arms. "Why, Perks," he grinned. "Does this mean that you've finally forgiven me for wanting to rip all your clothes off, have sex with you for three days straight, and wanting to make sure you'd be begging for more by the end of that?"

As much as she wanted too, Sally was unable to repress a chuckle at his commentary. He seized this opportunity and quickly led her away from her friends.

"Alright," he said, in a serious tone. "I'll be perfectly honest with you now. That _is_ indeed what I wanted last year. In fact, I would _still_ very much like to do that! Also, I don't like Muggle-borns. I detest them, really. Always _have_ done. That is, until _you_ turned up! I was willing to make an exception for you because of your gorgeous body. And because I really _badly_ wanted to have sex with you! However, I did really start to like you when I got to know you a bit better. But no, I don't _**love**_ you – ugh, bloody L-word - I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't want to marry you and have a dozen babies. I'm just not that kinda guy."

He grinned again. "But I'd love to practice for that, though. Anyway, as far as that bet with Malfoy, yes, I was involved in that too! I was just getting desperate by then, and it kind of seemed like the only way to get rid of that claim and give me a chance to…well, to have sex with you!"

She stared at him.

He laughed. "Yeah I know, it sounds kind of… obsessed, doesn't it? But, er… you're not going to hold that against me forever, are you? I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of other guys in the castle who would like to do the same thing. They just won't tell you, since they're not as honest as me."

She smiled at him, blushing a little. He put an arm around her. "Sally," he said. "If you ever feel like you'd like to do this with me, please let me know. I'll be sure to free up my schedule! In the meantime, I'd settle for your acknowledgment of my existence."

She chuckled, beaming at him. "Alright then," she said. He always _did_ know how to make her smile.

"Cool! Now?" he said. "Let's go somewhere private then!"

She giggled. "I was agreeing to the latter part of your statement," she said.

"Damn," he grinned. "Oh well, I guess I'll take that. For now!"

He gave her a quick hug, then let her go. But before she could leave, something suddenly occurred to him. "Oh, by the way, Sally?"

"Yes?" she said.

"Did your breasts grow?"

"What?" said Sally with a laugh. "You fiend!"

She tried to give him a playful push, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, inspecting her cleavage as he did so.

"Hmm," he said. "I think they did."

"Stop ogling me!" she yelled at him, as she punched his arm.

He grinned, let go and winked at her as they parted their ways, Sally joining her friends who were already in the Great Hall awaiting the sorting ceremony.

After the feast, while walking back to her House, Sally was deeply in thought. She was thinking about the song the sorting hat had sung, encouraging the Houses of Hogwarts to unite. There'd been a lot of muttering going on after that. She wondered if it had anything to do with that this Lord Voldemort being back? It was almost like an incentive for her to get back with Draco. Unite the Houses! But how could she, when _he_ was actually on Lord Voldemort's side? And wasn't Lord Voldemort the external, deadly foe that the hat was speaking of?

And then there was this Umbridge woman, the new DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) teacher, who had made such a sleep-inducing speech. She had tried to listen to her, since she was determined to do well this year, but it had been a challenge. She'd sounded incredibly old-fashioned to Sally, but she did have _some_ trouble understanding the full meaning of what had been said. She was making a mental note to ask Hermione the next time she saw her, since she was sure Hermione would have understood it all, judging by the expression on her face while she was watching. She frowned. Hermione hadn't looked pleased at all.

----------

Over the next few weeks, a few things became rapidly clear to her. For a start, most people thought Harry Potter was going nuts (as the wizard newspaper, the Daily Prophet, had claimed) because he claimed that Lord Voldemort was back. Sally, however, believed he was sane. She believed this because Hermione, Dumbledore, and even Draco, judging by his 'talk' with her last year, seemed to think he was back. That was sufficient for her.

What she _didn't_ understand, was why everybody kept calling this person something different! Draco and some of the other Slytherins called him "Dark Lord", Dumbledore and, apparently, Harry Potter called him "Lord Voldemort", or just 'Voldemort', and everyone else called him 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', or 'You-Know-Who'.

Sally had also started up her classes with Hermione again, and they had discussed Professor Umbridge. Hermione had explained that apparently the ministry of magic was interfering at Hogwarts, trying to convince everyone that Voldemort/Dark Lord/He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was _not_ back and that both Harry and Dumbledore had gone crazy. And that Umbridge was a part of the Ministry and was teaching at Hogwarts with that goal in mind.

Sally really did not like Professor Umbridge. Her classes were horribly boring, and she'd send people into detention for doing hardly anything at all.

She had noticed that Draco seemed to be trying his hardest to 'catch' her alone, something she wanted to avoid at all cost. She remembered their conversation at the end of the previous year all too well, but didn't think she'd be able to resist him were she to spend time alone with him. She still dreamed about him, and he made her spine tingle even just by looking at her! So she was no longer going to the Room of Requirement, and also made sure never to be alone outside of her House. She was making sure there was always someone with her, just in case.

----------

Draco was upset. He really needed to be alone with Sally. He was aching with desire for her even when he just thought about her, and he wanted to convince her to agree to his suggestion from the previous year. But he wasn't having much luck. He'd been checking the Room of Requirement after classes for the first few days, but she hadn't been there. He'd also tried to catch her alone in the hallways, but to no avail. There always seemed to be someone with her. It was infuriating him! He was pretty sure she was doing this on purpose, but it was ruining his plans, he was not getting _anywhere_.

He'd also noticed that she and Blaise were talking again, albeit in a lot more casual manner than they had done previously. At least they didn't seem to be spending any time alone together, which was a relief, although he had preferred it when they weren't talking at all. It had been one less thing to worry about.

----------

One night, about two weeks after school had started, Sally was walking towards the Great Hall with her friends when there appeared to be a commotion in the entrance hall. It seemed Hermione was in a heated discussion with someone over the rights of House Elfs. She heard giggling coming from the direction of the dungeons, and saw Pansy Parkinson and a group of Slytherin girls approaching. Parkinson was speaking loudly.

"Look, guys, it's Granger and her stupid SPEW stuff again!" she exclaimed. "She just luuuuuuvvvs those House Elfs, doesn't she? Personally, I think she _fancies_ one! Ah well, Mudblood, House Elf, it's all the same thing anyway, isn't it? They'll go well together," Parkinson shrieked, and she and the other girls started laughing out loud.

But none of them had noticed Sally and her friends. Sally was livid about the way Parkinson was talking about her friend, sneaked her wand out of her pocket, pointed it at her feet and mumbled a spell. The next moment Parkinson stumbled and fell flat on her face. Sally grinned maliciously as she put her wand away. But as she looked sideways she saw Draco staring at her. He'd seen what she'd done, and looked as if Christmas had come early.

"I saw that, Perks," he exclaimed. "You made her trip!"

He walked over to her. "You've earned yourself a detention!" he sneered. "Let's see, Friday night at 7:00, Potions classroom. And _don't_ be late!" with that, he walked off.

Parkinson and her friends threw Sally some icy looks, as Sally stood rooted to the spot, staring open-mouthed after Draco. "Can…can he do that?" she asked Mandy, shocked.

Mandy nodded. "Unfortunately, he can," she said. "He's a prefect. You should have been a little more careful, Sally, jinxing Parkinson out in the open like that!"

As Sally and her friends walked into the Great Hall for dinner, Hermione came running over to her and stared at the troubled expression on Sally's face. "Sally," she said. "What happened?"

Sally didn't answer, but Mandy wasted no time filling her in.

Hermione gazed at Sally's worried face, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. "Alright, Sally, what's going on," she said. "There's something between you and Malfoy, and I can't figure out what it is! I know you er… did '_it'_, with him, sometime last year, but I have a feeling there's more. _Is there?_"

Sally nodded. "It's not important," Sally said, with a resigned look. "I'll be fine, really!"

"I don't think you will be! You look _way_ too concerned," Hermione stated. "He doesn't… _hurt_ you or anything, does he?"

That comment made Sally laugh. "Oh, no, Hermione, don't worry. He would _never_ hurt me!"

Her laugh was so genuine that it reassured Hermione. "Alright then. Thanks for taking my side, anyway," she said, as she gave Sally a faint smile. "I guess we'd better go get something to eat before it's all gone."

And so they left.


	23. Detention

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Friday night had come, and it was time for Sally's detention. She knew she shouldn't be, but she couldn't help being highly excited, and was wondering what to wear. She vaguely remembered Draco saying something about her clothes on the train. What had he said again? Oh yeah, he'd called them _trashy_! She grinned. So he didn't like that, huh? I guess _sophisticated_ was more his thing! Well, she'd make sure _not_ to look sophisticated tonight. She'd be trashy! Oh yes, she would! She giggled inwardly.

The clothes she put on clung tight to her body and left a lot of bare skin. Her skirt was _ridiculously_ short. She put on liberal amounts of make-up, and when she was done she grinned at her reflection in the mirror. She looked horribly trashy! There was no way she'd ever wanted to be seen like that in public, so she made sure to cover up with her cloak.

She wondered what he actually wanted from her. She had a good idea what he wanted _initially_, of course, but what then? Was there more? She should hate herself for looking forward to it so much. He was kind of like the _enemy_, after all. But she thought it'd be unlikely she'd be able to resist him anyway, so she may as well make the most of it.

----------

Draco was sitting behind the teacher's desk in the Potions classroom. Tonight would be a good night, he thought, he'd make sure of that. Sally would be turning up any minute now, and he'd decided he was going to have a little fun with her first. He would give her an actual detention! He chuckled. He was pretty sure she wasn't going to like the task he had planned for her to do, and he fully intended to make use of that fact to get her to make some concessions.

He grinned to himself. Yes, if everything went according to plan, he'd finally have her where he wanted to have her by the end of the night. He looked at his watch. It was 7 o'clock, she was late. He was debating whether to give her some extra punishment for that, when he heard the knock on the door. He smiled. Only a minute late. Still, it was worth a mention.

"Come in," he called to the door, and Sally walked in. "You're late," he said, looking down at his paper and hiding the smile that had been on his face only moments before.

Sally looked at him in surprise. "I am?" she said.

He looked up. He frowned. She looked different, somehow. What did she do? "Yes, one minute," he said.

"A whole minute?" she said sarcastically.

"Yes, a whole minute! Sit down," he snarled, as he indicated a chair on the other side of his desk.

He decided he liked what she had done to herself. A little heavy on the make-up, though. But still, cute. He looked back down at his paper as she sat down. He could feel her staring at him, waiting for him to say or do something. He deliberately took his time before he looked up again.

"Ms. Perks," he started. "On your left hand side, you will find a cage with several frogs."

----------

Sally looked to her left. There was indeed a cage with frogs.

"In front of you, you'll find a cutting board with a very sharp knife."

Yep, that was there too.

"In addition, there are some colored bowls placed around the cutting board, and a garbage can near your feet."

Sally saw it, and wondered what was going on. What was all this about? She had kind of expected him to make a move on her right away. It didn't look like that was going to be the case, somehow, did it?

"You will take out each frog, slice it open, put its liver lobes in the red bowl, and its heart in the pink bowl. Then you will cut off the legs and put those in the green bowl. The remains then go into the garbage can."

She stared at him, her eyes opened wide. "Uhm," she stammered. "You…you are kidding, right?"

"No," he said with a sneer. "That's your task."

She now stared with disgust at the frogs. She'd have to do WHAT? She swallowed hard. "I… er… I…I don't think I can do that!"

"Think again," he said, his expression hard. "Maybe you should have thought of that when you tripped Ms. Parkinson."

She stared at him, horror showing in her face. He was serious! She couldn't believe it! He actually expected her to do this! Then she stared back at the frogs. She made no move. She just sat there, looking from his face to the cage and back again. He continued reading his papers, his face stern.

Ten minutes passed, and no progress had been made. Sally was now non-stop staring at the frogs.

Draco looked up. "May I remind you that you are to stay here until you have completed your task?"

She looked at him and swallowed again. She did not reply. She moved her hands towards the cage and carefully opened it. She stuck a hand inside. She tried to close it over one of the frogs, but, slippery as it was, it slithered out of her hand. She shrieked, and pulled her hand out of the cage.

On the second attempt she managed to grab a frog by its leg and pulled it out of its cage. She now held it at arm's length and stared at the animal with dismay as it was struggling to get free. Now what! Oh yeah, she had to cut it open. She shuddered. She picked up the knife, looked at the struggling frog, felt herself go nauseous, swallowed, looked at it again, then flung it back into the cage and dropped the knife with a 'plunk'. She put her face in her hands.

"I can't do this!" she exclaimed. "It's impossible!"

"Nonsense," he said. "Would you like me to show you?"

She looked at him, challenging him. "Yes," she replied.

He got up and walked around to where she was sitting and stood behind her, an arm on each side of her body. He leaned over her and opened the cage with his right hand, easily taking out a frog with his left. He closed the cage and picked up the knife. He dropped the frog on the cutting board, belly up, and slit it open from top to bottom. He then used the point of the knife to scoop out the liver lobes, dropping them into the red bowl. Then he cut around some of its insides, and finally scooped out its heart into the pink bowl. He then dropped it back on the cutting board and sliced off its legs, all the while working with his arms around Sally. He scooped the legs up with the flat side of the knife and chucked them into the green bowl, grabbed the remains and flung them into the garbage.

Then he pulled away from Sally and wiped his hands with a wet cloth that was lying on the table, with a satisfied smirk on his face. Sally felt like she was going to throw up. He walked back around the table and looked at her, still smirking.

"There, that's how you do that!" he said.

"You liked that, didn't you?" she said, appalled.

He grinned. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did!" he said.

"Then why don't _you_ do the rest for me," she said sweetly, "If you like it so much!"

----------

Draco narrowed his eyes as he gave Sally a stern look. It wasn't quite time to bargain yet.

Then there was a knock on the door, and it opened right away.

"Draco!" shrieked Pansy. "How's it going? What do you have that Mudblood doing?"

He grinned at her. He had expected this, and pointed to the stuff surrounding Sally.

"EWWWW!" she exclaimed. "Yuck! What the hell is that?"

"She's just dissecting some frogs," he said with a grin.

"Well, that's just…that's just gross!" she said, looking utterly revolted.

She glared at Sally who was white as a sheet, staring at the frog's innards.

"You girls are such pussy-cats," Draco chuckled.

"Well," said Pansy again. "I guess she deserves it. But I'm glad I don't have to sit here and watch!"

"Alright," said Draco. "See you later then, Pans."

"Goodbye," she said, left in a hurry and slammed the door shut behind her.

Draco took out his wand and cast a spell on the door.

"Good!" he said. "We won't see _her_ back again tonight. Now, where were we?"

"I think you had just decided you were going to do them all yourself," Sally replied.

He smirked and leaned further over the desk. "And why would I do _that_?" he replied, soft now.

"Because you like it?" she said.

"Hmm," he said, as he gave her a mocking smile. "I can think of better things to do, though." Then he added, "By the way, aren't you hot? You're still wearing your cloak. You must be boiling! It's really warm in here!"

She _was_ hot. She was starting to sweat. But there's no way she'd take off her cloak now! Not with what she was wearing underneath!

"I'm fine," she said.

He frowned. "You're not hot?"

"No," she lied.

He raised his eyebrows. "You sure look like you are."

"Thanks," she said with a grin.

He looked a little puzzled at first, but then he grinned back at her. "You're welcome. Now, how about those frogs?"

"I would _really_ like it if you did them for me," she said, smiling again.

He smirked. "But what would be my… incentive?"

"What would you like your incentive to be," she replied.

"Hmm," he said, staring at her fixedly now. "I'll have to get back to you on that. How about you do a couple of frogs yourselves while I think about it?"

She grimaced. "I'd rather not," she said.

"Well," he grinned. "Maybe _you_ have some suggestions, then?"

He watched her looking uncomfortable. She was definitely sweating. She really did look like she was hot. Why would she not take off her cloak?

But just as he was thinking that, she seemed to have had enough, got up, and with a grimace pulled off her cloak.

He thought his jaw would drop to the floor. What the _hell_ was she wearing?

"Ahem," he coughed, feeling his eyes would roll out of their sockets any minute now.

He gazed at her body as she hung up her cloak and sat back down, hiding most of her body under the table. He stared at her for a minute. Then he pushed back from the desk and stuck his head under the table.

"_What_ are you doing?" she inquired.

"I'm looking!" he yelled from underneath the desk.

"And what, exactly, are you looking _at_?"

His grinning face appeared above the table again. "What do you think?" he said, "What the heck are you wearing?"

"Just some of my new clothes." she replied, smiling.

"You don't actually go _out_ like that, do you?" he said with a smirk, letting his gaze drop briefly to her breasts.

She didn't reply. He knew she would have been lying if she had said she did.

He chuckled. "I didn't think so. Nice to see I'm getting special treatment, though!"

She blushed. "Er…" she began. "I… I thought you didn't like the trashy look?"

While she was talking, he had made his way around the table and stood behind her. "I'm _fine_ with it…provided it's for my eyes only," he replied. "Get up," he added.

She did, and he stared at her. She looked unbelievable! He took a step back to be able to look at her properly. The outfit clung to all the right curves. And she actually had curves now, much more so than the previous year.

He liked it. A lot! He had trouble controlling himself. But why should he? She was clearly ready for him, after all. He approached her hungrily. He let his hands move over the naked skin between her top and her skirt, then stuck his hands underneath her top and took it off in one fluent motion. He stared at her breasts, now fuller and softer than last year.

"They grew, didn't they?" he grinned at her, cupping them with his hands.

He rubbed softly, feeling her nipples go hard. Then he put both his arms around her, and kissed her full on her mouth, letting his tongue invade onto hers. She responded, right away. He sniggered. He was right, she was definitely ready for him. He had her exactly where he wanted her! When he pulled back from their kiss, he paused to stare at her for a bit first. He wanted to savor every little bit of her.

"Now," he started. "What will you do for me, if I help you dissect those frogs?"

She gulped, when thinking about those frogs again. "W…what would you like me to do?" she stammered.

He grinned. "Lick me."

She raised her eyebrows. "Er… where?"

"Everywhere," he exclaimed. Then, with a smirk, he added, "But mostly on my cock."

He laughed when she blushed again, then took her by the hand and led her to a staircase. There was a twin-size bed upstairs. Just before they got to that, he pulled her skirt and undies off, then lifted her on top of the bed, took his own clothes off and crawled next to her. He spent quite a bit of time just running his hands over her body, admiring her, enjoying every moment. She trembled under his hands. He smiled. She loved it! She loved every bit of what he was doing to her! He moved his hands between her legs, and she let out a moan.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, moan for me, sweetie! Say my name! I want you to say my name!"

"Draco," she whispered. "Draco, Draco, Draco!"

He leaned over her and kissed her again, continuing to move his fingers between her legs. He could almost taste her gasps as he was kissing her. He loved it, this was the best, the best, the best! He circled his fingers, moving faster and faster, until he was certain she was only seconds from release. Then he stopped.

"What…what are you doing?" she said, desperately. "Don't stop, please?"

He grinned at her. "Tell me what you want," he said.

"I want you to continue touching me," she said, urgently.

"Why?" he said, with an evil smile. "What are you after?"

"I…I," she stammered.

"Well?" he inquired, touching her ever so lightly on her sensitive spot, just enough to make her feel what she was missing out on.

"Please," she begged. "Please, please, please, Draco, please finish it!"

"Finish what?" he asked her, grinning maliciously. "You're begging! And I love to hear you beg, but I want to hear what you're begging for!"

She closed her eyes. "An orgasm," she said. "I would like an orgasm, please!"

He grinned broadly now. "Alright," he said. "I'll give you an orgasm!"

He moved downwards, and instead of using his hands he was using his tongue. He circled it around and around, faster and faster, making her moan out loud, until suddenly she shuddered, and cried out his name. For a while she just lay there, panting.

"More!" she exclaimed, finally. "More, please, Draco, more!"

He grinned even wider. "Alright then," he said, and continued, causing her to come again only seconds later. She got a third and a fourth, then he quit. "My turn," he said, as he lay back. "Time for you to follow through on our deal."

It was absolutely amazing. She indeed licked him everywhere on his body, and he felt all his nerve endings stand on end by the time she was finished and had moved on to his cock. He had to stop her after mere seconds.

Sally moved her face up to meet his. "I thought that's where you wanted it most?"

His grin was now ear to ear. He kissed her, and then he whispered that he had indeed said that, but that he would have made a huge mess if she hadn't stopped at that time. He rolled her over, pinning her underneath him, pushed his legs between hers and entered her slowly. She gasped, and threw her head back. He could feel her pelvic muscles tighten, and as she did so, he was done. She practically drew his orgasm out of him just by tightening those muscles. He moved somewhat after that, just to see if _she_ was going anywhere, and she did.

Seconds after he came, she came again too. The sensation was so intense for him that it almost felt like a secondary orgasm. It was incredible!

Afterwards he just lay on top of her for what seemed like forever. It seemed to him that all his energy had been sucked out of him, and he was left as no more than an empty shell. He was wiped out. But that was fine, he was fine with that. It had been well worth every ounce of effort he'd put in it. It had been the best 'session' he'd ever had. It had been amazing! He started kissing her all over her face, finishing off with a big kiss on her mouth.

She deserved every kiss he could possibly give her, he argued with himself, after what she had made him feel. And he felt like he just wanted to stay right where he was, right there, for the rest of his life.

But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and so also this amazing session that they had been having. It was time, he thought. Time to move on, on to the subject he _really_ wanted to move on to. And he knew he couldn't wait too long. He had to do it while she was still on a high.

"Sally," he whispered to her.

"Mmmm, yes, Draco?" she replied.

"How was that?" he asked, tentatively.

"Amazing!" she exclaimed. "Absolutely amazing! Unbelievable!"

He grinned. "Yeah, I had a feeling you might feel that way. But, er…"

"Yes?" she replied.

"I don't think it's enough," he said.

"It's not?" she replied, frowning now.

"No, it isn't," he said. "I need you, Sally. I need you around, all the time. I want to do this, I want to feel what we just felt all over again, and then over and over again, forever!"

He sighed. "I need you to agree to what we talked about before. I want you to be mine. For all time."

She sat up straight now and stared at him, the smile gone from her face. She almost looked angry.

"Sally?" he whispered to her, slightly concerned. She hadn't responded to his question yet. She should have said 'yes' by now!

She climbed out of bed and started collecting her clothes.

"You haven't answered me," he said, urgently.

"I can't," she said. "_We_ can't. We're on opposite sides. How can we _ever_ be together?"

He glared at her. Did she _really_ just say that? "We don't have to be on opposite sides," he said. "Just…just stay neutral!"

"How can I stay neutral, when _he_ is trying to eradicate people like me?" she replied. She had finished putting on her undies, skirt and shoes.

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't," he said. "Don't do this to me, Sally. We belong together, you know that!"

"Then how come we're not?" she yelled. "You're too embarrassed to even tell people that we've had a relationship together. The _best_ you can do, is tell people that you _fucked_ me! No more than that! And that is _never_ going to change! If I was to agree to your…suggestion, would you tell everyone about it? Would _I_ be able to tell people about it?"

"Of course not," he said, irritated. "You _know_ we can't!"

"No, we can't, can we?" she replied. "In fact, we wouldn't even _be_ together, really. You'd still be with Parkinson. Wouldn't you?"

"Yes," he grumbled.

"There you go," she said, tears now welling up in her eyes. "You're _ashamed_ of me!"

"It's not like that," he said, his irritation now transforming into annoyance.

He _wasn't_ ashamed of her. He just couldn't because of his parents, who knew what his dad would do? He could possibly even kill her! But he wasn't about to tell her _that_.

"No? Then how _is_ it, Draco?" she yelled.

He didn't answer. "Just as I thought," she said, and she charged down the stairs.

He didn't follow her. He couldn't. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could say. He could hear her picking up her things, and he knew she was putting on the rest of her clothes. He heard her utter a spell, and then he heard a door open, followed by the sound of a door being slammed shut. She was gone.

For some reason, though, he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would. Sure, he was disappointed. He'd really wanted her to agree to meet him regularly, and obviously it didn't look like that was going to happen. But first of all, he'd had a great time with her, and he was savoring that. Furthermore, she still had his claim, and he was pretty positive she'd have it for a long time to come. Eventually, she would come back to him. Maybe it would take years. Or maybe not, in any case, he could wait. He smirked. He was sure everything would work out in the end.

----------

Sally didn't know _how_ she felt. She was confused. She obviously still had feelings for him. She sighed. She had felt so good with him, that at some point, she thought she would just die. Die from pleasure. But then, when he had started talking about his 'offer' again, reality had started coming back to her. They couldn't be together, ever! How could they, when he was siding with a megalomaniac? How could they, when he'd be living with a different girl? How could they, when their relationship would have to be a secret, forever? Oh my goodness, she thought. She put her face in her hands. What had she done? She just had the most amazing experience, yet it could never be repeated. It just wasn't possible!

She decided there and then that this had to be over. She _had_ had a great time, but she knew that that would have to be it. No more, she thought. No matter what. So she resolved to be stronger from then on.

As soon as she got back to her common room, Lisa asked her about her detention. "How was it?"

"Gross!" Sally said, which was at least partially true.

Lisa looked surprised. "Gross? What did you have to do?"

"Dissect frogs. I almost threw up!"

"Ewww!" Lisa said, a look of horror on her face. Some other people looked disgusted too.

Sally shrugged. "I don't really want to talk about it," she said, and made her way to the dormitories upstairs. She quickly got changed; making sure no one would see what she was wearing.

----------

Afterwards, life went back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as could be expected. If Sally needed any more convincing that she was doing the right thing, she would get it soon. First, there was a big article in the Daily Prophet announcing Dolores Umbridge as the new "Hogwarts High Inquisitor". It contained an interview with Draco's dad. He didn't exactly seem to be on Dumbledore's side.

Obviously, he wasn't, because if Draco was on Voldemort's side, then that must be because his parents were. But it still bothered her to see it written in black and white like that.

At some point during the year, Sally joined the D.A. Hermione had finally told her about the D.A. (Dumbledore's Army), and admitted that she hadn't asked her right from the start since she was still somewhat concerned about Sally's relationship with Draco and Blaise. But Sally had promised she would never utter a word about it to either of them, had joined in their secret meetings in the Room of Requirement, and had been delighted to find that she was learning a huge amount from Harry Potter. He was a great teacher, just as Hermione was. And she was determined to do her share when such a time came that Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters had to be fought.

Sometime after Valentine's Day, Sally got to read the Quibbler, which contained a full report about the night that Harry faced Voldemort as he was coming back to life. Sally had gone white, and had been unable to speak for a while, as it appeared that Draco's father was one of the Death Eaters. She'd been shocked, although she realized she should have expected something like that. This bit of news had upset her tremendously, and she had felt her stomach tie itself into a knot.

Sometime later in the school year the D.A. got exposed. Everyone was running for their lives out of the Room of Requirement, and she found to her shock that Draco and his friends were trying to 'catch' members of the D.A. In fact, he caught Harry. She had seen him look at her in shock, though, as she had run past him. Apparently he had not expected her to be involved in this. The aftermath of this was that Dumbledore was replaced as headmaster by Dolores Umbridge, and Draco and friends were now part of the so-called "Inquisitorial Squad". They were able to dock points, and she heard that Draco was actually docking points from people for being Mudbloods! Each Muggle-born would lose 10 points for that.

She had had her own run-in with Draco. She thought he wouldn't be so mean as to dock points from _her_, but she was wrong. In fact, instead of the usual 10, he actually took _fifty_ points from _her_ for being a Mudblood!

She'd asked him why he took so many more points from her for that than he did from the others, and his reply was, "Because with you, it bothers me even more."

Throughout the year, Draco had made several attempts to get together with her, but she had resisted them all. She had found it easier to resist as the year was progressing, and she became more aware of the things he was apparently involved in. He had even gone so far as to suggest that she could earn some points for her House for 'cooperation' if she were to spend some 'private' time with him. She had, of course, refused. She had also been very careful not to land detention anymore, although she was pretty positive that if she _were_ to receive detention from him, she would no longer let anything happen between them. However, she still thought it'd be better to avoid that kind of situation altogether.

By the end of the year, she had managed to catch up fully with all her coursework, and she was pretty confident she had done well in her O.W.L.'s. Strange things had been going on at the end of the exams, though. Professor McGonagall had been stunned by ministry wizards, and briefly after the exams the "Prophet" reported a story about how there had been a big fight at the ministry. This fight had involved Harry Potter, Hermione and some other students, Dumbledore, a group of people called the "Order of the Phoenix", Voldemort, and his Death Eaters. The bad guys apparently had lost, and quite a few of the Death Eaters, including Draco's dad, had been sent to prison. Unfortunately, Voldemort had escaped. And that's how the year ended. And before she knew it, she was on the train back home.


	24. The Mission

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Sara, thanks so much for your review! I have never dissected a frog before myself, but I'm sure it must have been gross.**

**It's hard to be reasonable when you are in love, though! I think both Sally and Draco suffer from that.**

**Only one more chapter to go after this one, before Sally's secret will be revealed.**

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The summer had ended and Sally once again boarded the train for Hogwarts. She learned that Professor Umbridge was no longer at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore was back as Headmaster, which pleased her a lot. She had received her O.W.L. results which were _excellent_, something she attributed mostly to Hermione, and somewhat to Harry Potter too (her DADA grade). She had one A (for divination), _five_ O's (for Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration and Defense against the Dark Arts), and the rest E's. She was looking forward to the new term, which was looking to be a lot more relaxed than the previous one. There were to be no more sessions with Hermione, since she had now caught up completely. She also found out quickly that there were to be no more D.A. meetings since Umbridge was gone.

Her summer had been okay. It was pretty much like last year, with the exception that she was not quite as happy, since the world seemed currently plagued by disasters and misery. The feeling of impending doom seemed to hang around everywhere. Even the weather seemed to emit that sentiment, as a depressing mist was often present now. She had a distinct feeling this had to be related to the return of Lord Voldemort, something that was confirmed once she was back on the train. He was clearly back now, spreading destruction, tragedy and devastation everywhere.

Draco was now leaving her alone. He seemed to have completely lost interest in her, something she was grateful for. It made everything so much easier. She still thought about him occasionally, but to her, there was no doubt now that he was on the wrong track and she was much better off not to be involved with him at all. When she did think of him now, it was usually with sadness. She was sorry to see the turn his life was taking.

A few weeks into the new term, a small girl walked up to her and handed her a letter. She disappeared immediately afterwards, and Sally opened her letter with curiosity. It appeared to be from Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster. She was to go and see him the next afternoon after classes had ended. Sally crumpled up the letter with a troubled look on her face. What was that all about? What had she done? This was highly unusual! The headmaster didn't normally have casual meetings with students; therefore it must be something serious. So it was with apprehension that she approached Dumbledore's office the next day after classes had ended, muttering the password and ascending the revolving staircase. She knocked on his door and was told to enter.

"Professor," she mumbled as she entered.

Dumbledore gave her a warm smile and indicated for her to sit down. "Ms. Perks," he began. "First of all, let me put your mind at rest and tell you that you are not in trouble, as I can see that that appears to be a concern."

He looked amicable at her, and her fears eased immediately. What remained now was merely curiosity.

"Now," he continued. "Am I right to assume, Ms. Perks, that you are as concerned as most people about Lord Voldemort returning to power?"

"Of course," replied Sally.

"I thought so," said Dumbledore. "Your participation in the D.A. last year would be a testament of that, amongst other things. However, I wondered how great your determination is to help and try to thwart Voldemort in his ascent to power, and if you would be willing to make a sacrifice to further that goal."

Sally was now staring at Dumbledore. What could this possibly be about? Why would _she_ be able to make any difference here? Naturally she was prepared to do what it takes, but she could not see how her involvement could be at all of any significance. Why was he asking her this?

"I would do anything!" she exclaimed. "I think what is happening is _horrific_, and I would want to be involved and do whatever I could do to help defeat this _evil_ man! I'd be willing to make _any_ sacrifice necessary, but I don't see…"

Dumbledore's smile grew now, and he interrupted her. "You don't see how _you_ can make a difference. Well, it so happens you _can_. But it does require a sacrifice, and I won't pretend that it won't be difficult, not to mention extremely dangerous."

"I don't care, whatever it takes!" said Sally. "What would you need from me, sir?"

"Draco Malfoy," replied Dumbledore, and he stared at her.

Sally couldn't help blushing. "D…Draco Malfoy?" she said, stumped.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "I have reason to believe that Draco Malfoy has been set a task by Lord Voldemort, involving something that is to happen at this school. I do not know exactly what this task is, or how he will go about fulfilling it. However, it is imperative that we find out so we can put a stop to whatever it is that he is trying to achieve."

Sally stared at Dumbledore intently. Oh my goodness, she thought to herself. Was he in _that_ deep? She swallowed hard. It was obviously worse than she thought.

"O…Okay," she stammered. "B…but what…how…what can _I_ do about that?"

Dumbledore looked at her with an expression of deep concern. "It is my belief that you are the only person in this school who may be able to obtain this information from him."

Sally shook her head in desperation. "No," she said. "No, you're wrong! I can't! How can_ I_…I mean, he doesn't even talk to me anymore. He certainly wouldn't tell me anything like that! Why don't you ask Professor Snape, or Crabbe, Goyle, or Parkinson! They are much closer to him than I am. I am _nothing_ to him!"

Dumbledore now gave her a small smile. "I think you are underestimating the influence you have on young Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Perks. But to answer your questions, he will not divulge any information to Professor Snape, since he does not trust him enough. Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle would never be willing to cooperate, and even if they would, I doubt they could be very helpful. Ms. Parkinson, even if she were to cooperate which I think would be highly unlikely, has no power over Mr. Malfoy whatsoever and would therefore be of no use to us.

On the other hand, I have full confidence that _you_ would be able to win his trust, if you were to give him the right… _incentives_. But I understand that I am asking rather a lot, and if you are not willing…"

"It's not that!" exclaimed Sally. "Of course I would be willing. As I said, I'd do anything! I just don't feel that I am capable!"

"Oh, I think you are _very_ capable, Ms. Perks," said Dumbledore kindly. "Am I to take it, from your reply then, that you are prepared to take on this extremely important assignment?"

Sally stared at him, for what seemed like hours, although in reality, it was probably no more than a few minutes.

She swallowed hard.

"I…I will try," she stumbled.

Dumbledore smiled encouragingly. "Wonderful," he said. "That is all I could possibly hope for at the moment. Thank you, Ms. Perks."

She smiled uncertainly.

"You _do_ understand that this could be very dangerous?"

She nodded.

"Alright, then it is decided. Please report to me whenever you find out anything significant. I do not expect any results soon, I understand it may take several months. Please do not feel rushed, as I believe we have _some_ time, at least. Once again, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your cooperation. And please do not hesitate to ask for assistance should you require it! Your assignment is very high on my list of priorities, so please ask for anything you may need."

"Thank you," whispered Sally softly, as Dumbledore stood up. "I promise I'll do my very best."

With that, Dumbledore shook her hand. "No, thank _you_, Ms. Perks," he said, and held the door open for her, so she could leave. "Oh, and by the way, your assignment _must_ remain top-secret. Please do not let anybody, and I mean _anybody_, know about this! Do you understand that?"

She nodded. "I understand," she said, as she left the room.

On the way back to her common room the significance of her assignment seemed to dawn on her. She had to _spy_ on Draco, and to do so she had to win his trust. She knew what that meant. And any time last year she would have been able to manage that fairly easily. But now? He seemed to have given up on her, she wasn't even sure he was at all interested in her anymore, no matter _what_ Dumbledore seemed to think. She frowned.

Come to think of it, how did Dumbledore even know the extent of what had been going on between them? _Nobody_ knew that, after all, other than Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise…

----------

Sally was immensely grateful that there apparently was no hurry, since she wasn't exactly sure how to go about this. She had to wait for the right opportunity. In the meantime she was checking him out more than ever, but doing so secretly, as she did not want to give anybody but him the idea that she was interested in him again.

She did not notice anything unusual, he seemed to go about life just as he always had. She wondered for a little while if Dumbledore was even right. Did Draco's hate really run _that_ deep? She had a hard time believing it. In any case, if he did, she would find out. She was determined now. She had taken to wandering the corridors by herself a lot, to increase the chance she might run into him. And that seemed to pay off, for a few days later she found herself in an otherwise deserted hallway, with Crabbe, Goyle and Draco. They would have walked right past her, had she not jumped out in front of Draco and blocked his path.

"Malfoy," she said.

Draco narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously. "Perks," he said. "What do _you_ want?"

She looked at him, scanning his eyes to see if she could detect any kind of warmth in it at all. She did not see any, just icy coldness.

"I would like to talk to you," she said, and a horrible feeling of déjà vu came over her. She had been in this exact situation before, and the result had been disastrous. However, she felt she was much stronger now, and she didn't think anything he could say to her now would have the effect it had then. She wouldn't allow it.

"Who says I want to talk to _you_, though?" he replied.

"Please?"

"You're _begging_?"

"Yes. I really need to speak to you, Draco." She realized too late that using his first name was a mistake. He looked at her with disdain.

"You're only allowed to call me that when I fuck you, Perks," he said, with contempt in his voice. "So, is that what you want? Cause I'm sure I can take a few minutes out for _that_! Crabbe and Goyle will wait for me, won't you boys?"

He glanced at the two other boys as he spoke the last sentence. Crabbe and Goyle grinned. Sally just stared.

"Well?" he said. "Yes or no? I haven't got all day!"

She stepped aside and let him pass. She'd lost this one, she would have to try again some other time. He sneered as he walked past, looking back at her for a little while longer before returning his gaze back to the path ahead of him.

----------

Draco couldn't deny that he was curious about what Sally wanted to talk to him about. But he wasn't going to give in _that_ easily! He had actively pursued her last year, and she had done nothing but reject him, to the point where he had given up altogether and decided to wait, probably until he was done with school, before trying again.

Once the Dark Lord had taken over he thought he'd be in a much better position to talk to her and get her to agree to some sort of arrangement with him. But now she'd thrown him for a loop, as she appeared to be making an effort to talk to _him_ instead, which he hadn't expected. Granted, it could be nothing, maybe just something stupid, but he was determined to make her suffer somewhat for her impertinence last year, before he'd let her say what she wanted to say.

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Sally was still going around on her own looking for opportunities. And a few days later, on a Saturday afternoon, she saw him walking towards the library, by himself, and so she followed him there. Once there, he took out a book and went to sit down at the corner of a table in the back of the library, partially hidden by bookcases. She grabbed a book herself, walked over to his table, and slammed her book down upon it. The noise made him look up.

She smiled at him. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" she said, as she sat down and opened her book.

He looked around him, as though checking to see if the library was so full that she had no option but to sit there. It was practically empty. He looked back at her with a smirk, closed his book and pushed it away. In the meantime, Sally had started reading her book, glancing at him occasionally.

He moved his chair a little closer towards her, leaned over and whispered, "Did you want something from me, Perks?"

She looked up from her book and nodded. "I would like to talk to you," she whispered back.

"Then talk," he replied.

"Not here."

"Then where?"

"Somewhere where we cannot be overheard."

His smirk had not left his face. He nodded at her. "Okay," he said. "Take a right out of the library. Then the next left is a dead end corridor. Why don't you wait for me there, I'll join you in about 5 minutes."

She stared at him for a few seconds. "Okay," she said, then packed up her book and left.

Five minutes later Draco left, too. However, instead of turning _right_ out of the library, he turned _left_.

Sally waited for about 15 minutes, before going back to the library. When she didn't see him there she realized he had played another trick on her and scuffled back to her dormitory. She sighed, as she lay down on her bed. It wasn't going very well at all. She felt like she was chasing him as he was running away from her! If it hadn't been for her mission, she would definitely have given up by now. Clearly, he was not interested even in hearing what she had to say.

She left him alone for a while after that. She was getting desperate, and at a loss as to what to do next. She would wait a while and try to think of other ways to talk to him, but she seemed to be running out of ideas. She couldn't force him if he didn't want to, after all. Dumbledore must have been wrong; she didn't feel like she had _any_ influence on him at all! She _was_, however, keeping to her solitary walks, as she thought that running around with other people would be sure to eliminate any chance she might possibly get. And so it was that about a week later, during one of those walks, someone pulled her by her arm and dragged her into a deserted classroom. Draco.

He grinned as he stood in front of her, his arms folded. "So," he said. "Now talk!"

"Oh… alright," she stammered, completely taken by surprise. She stared at him apprehensively, then swallowed. This was not as easy as she had thought.

"Well?" he said impatiently.

"Er… well," she started carefully. "Do you remember, last year, when you gave me detention?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Obviously," he replied.

"Well, you…you asked me something, by the end of that."

She looked at him expectantly, but he just nodded for her to continue.

"You said you wanted to continue meeting me, don't you remember?" she said quickly, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

He narrowed his eyes. "Yes," he said, "And you made it _very_ clear that you were not interested whatsoever."

She giggled nervously. "Well, I, er…" she said, "I, er… I changed my mind!"

At that, he looked stunned for just a second. Then his expression changed. "_Really_," he said, maliciously, as he took a step forward towards her.

She swallowed again, taking a step backwards and feeling her way blocked by the wall.

He stared down at her, with a vindictive smile on his face. "So," he said, "And to what do I owe this… this honor? Why this sudden change of mind?"

She felt extremely small and intimidated; his attitude was scaring her. "I…I…" she stammered. "I was…I felt…I…" The strain was proving too much for her. "Oh, just, forget it!" she cried, and tried to duck away from him.

He caught her easily, and pulled her back. "Not so fast, Perks," he said, "I don't think we're quite done here yet!"

He pushed her up against the wall. "I believe I gave you _plenty_ of chances to change your mind last year," he said. "So why now? Now that I had _finally_… given up?"

His snide tone made her blood run cold. Did he suspect anything? Did he know? She had to be convincing! She just _had_ to! It was her only way out. He appeared more angry and terrifying than she had ever seen him.

"You…you _know_! You've always known how I felt about you," she started. "Right from the beginning!"

She looked at him. He just stared back at her, waiting, still with that menacing look in his eyes.

"And I… I don't think that's ever going to go away," she continued. "It's just that… I didn't want to share. And I was scared. Scared of this… this 'Dark Lord'!"

He looked at her extremely suspiciously, and sneered. "So now you're no longer scared?"

"On the contrary," she replied. "I'm more scared than ever."

He had stopped sneering, but was still looking suspicious.

"He's… he's obviously getting stronger, isn't he?" she said. "We're at war, aren't we? And I'm afraid that if he wins…"

"_When_ he wins," he corrected her.

She stared at him, fear flooding her veins. "Whatever," she said. "If, or when, he wins, he'll be going after all us Muggle-borns, won't he?"

"Definitely," Draco replied.

"Well then, I'll probably won't survive for very long, will I?"

He stared at her for a few seconds. "And you think that I'd be able to protect you?"

"Yeah, well I doubt that," she scoffed. "It's just that, before that happens," she said, "I really wish I could spend a bit more time with you." She looked up at him with watery eyes, and his expression seemed to soften a bit.

"Hm," he said, "But we talked about that last year. And you had quite a different opinion on it then."

"Yes, but at that point it didn't seem as real as it does now. All these things that are happening at the moment," she shook her head, "It makes it seem so… inevitable!"

She blinked away a tear and moved towards him. "Draco," she pleaded, "All I want is to have a few more moments with you, before… before everything is going to fall apart!"

She reached out and touched his arm, and started rubbing it gently, all the while staring into his eyes. He finally broke out into a smug grin. "Alright," he said finally, "alright, I believe you."

She smiled, relieved.

"But," he continued, "I'm not interested. Sorry." He shook off her hand.

"What?" she said, stunned.

"You heard me," he said. "We're done. I'm…" he paused for effect, "'_over'_, you." He grinned.

She looked at him in shock. "Are you…are you serious?" she stammered, feeling her cheeks glow with embarrassment.

"Yes," he said harshly. "Why, you didn't think that was possible, did you, sweetheart? You thought I'd never be able to resist your…" He let his hands glide over the sides of her body, checking her out as he did so, "curvy features…" He now looked back up at her face, and moved his hands through her hair, "your long golden hair…" Then he pulled her face towards him, "and your pretty, pretty face!"

He inched closer and closer, until his lips were almost touching hers. He closed his eyes, as if he was going to kiss her. But then he pushed her away and smiled an extremely smug smile.

"Well, you were wrong!" he said. "I can. And I am! Goodbye, Perks!"

And he turned around and walked out the door, leaving her wishing she could just sink through the floor and be swallowed up whole.

----------

Draco's brain and body were in turmoil as he rushed back to his dormitory. He was excited beyond believe.

Had he not rushed out when he did, he would have fucked her right then and there, on the floor. She was so incredibly attractive! He had been lying through his teeth when he said he had no problem resisting her! He had had to muster every ounce of self-control and willpower he possessed to actually leave the room when he did.

But he _had_ managed it, and he was immensely proud of that. What did she think he was, her puppy-dog? Did she think she could just come around and claim him whenever _she_ felt like it? That she could just deny him for more than a year, and that he would come running to please her when she had decided she was ready? No way! He'd show her who was in charge here!

----------

When Sally got back to her dormitory she was devastated. She had failed. She would have to go up to Dumbledore and tell him she was unable to do what was required. She let out a deep sigh and flung herself on her bed. She was choked up and she could feel tears prickling behind her eyes. She held her head in her hands, pulled up her knees and started rocking backwards and forwards on her bed. This was it, there was nothing else left to do. He was done with her. For good! Tears started falling hard and fast now, and she couldn't help wondering if that was _just_ because she had failed her mission.

She made no more attempts from then on to talk to him. There didn't seem to be any point. He'd been pretty clear about it, after all. But she would have to speak to Dumbledore and she was not looking forward to that.

She felt like such a failure! So she delayed it. And after a few days she began to wonder if she should. Dumbledore would be really disappointed in her, that she'd given up so easily. It had only been a few weeks after all, she was sure he'd want her to give it at least one more go. Make sure she exhausted all possibilities.

'Oh, that damn mission,' she thought. She was making such a fool of herself! But she didn't see what else she could possibly do now. So for a while, she just didn't do anything at all.

----------

A few weeks later, Draco realized that Sally was going to leave him alone from now on. He had debated if he should approach her now and tell her he changed _his_ mind. There was something to be said for that. First of all, that _was_ what he really wanted, after all. Second, he felt that by now, she was probably 'punished' enough. He knew that last conversation must have really upset her.

But he decided not to in the end. For one reason only; he needed to concentrate fully on the task he had to do, the one that the Dark Lord had set for him. If he were to fail, he and his family would be killed. So he really should have no distractions. He had to use every free moment he had to work on that. He sighed. Of course, once he had completed the task, there would be no chance of getting together with her anymore, at least not at Hogwarts. He would have to wait.

----------

Several months passed, and Sally had noticed a change in Draco. He seemed to be getting thinner, unhealthier. His skin was getting slightly grayish. He rarely smiled now; even his usual sneer seemed to have disappeared. He wasn't even smug or boastful anymore. She was starting to get concerned about him. Whatever he was doing, obviously wasn't going very well. And it seemed to be affecting him pretty badly!

She had also finally decided to talk to Dumbledore. She thought he'd be disappointed and upset, but he wasn't at all. He had told her she had done 'great', and that all she needed to do now, was wait. The mission wasn't over, just temporarily put on hold, and he would let her know when to pick it up again. She seriously doubted he would ever do such a thing, though, since the end of the year was rapidly approaching, and no word had come to her from Dumbledore yet.

But once again, she would be proven wrong.

On the positive side, Sally's education, now that she had caught up completely, was going better than she ever could have hoped for. No longer needing Hermione's extra lessons, she had spent most of her spare time studying in the library, reading about spells and other kinds of magic that she wasn't learning in class, as well as the stuff she _did_ work on in class. She was eager to learn as much as she could, was progressing tremendously well, and her teachers were thrilled with her. Her knowledge was rapidly rivaling even Hermione's! She had also discovered she was capable of doing _some_ basic, controlled, wandless magic, something she knew very few people were able to do. She had also learned apparition, and, to everyone's surprise, had been the first one in the school to master it without splinching herself. As an added bonus she had been invited by Professor Slughorn to join the Slug Club, and had been to some entertaining parties in his office, something she had thoroughly enjoyed.


	25. The Battle

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks again for your review! You are correct, Sally's secret will be revealed the same time as we meet Voldie. But it's not this chapter yet (it's the _next_ one).**

**Alex, thanks so much for your review too! Sally and Draco's relationship is kind of sweet and sour. They definitely like each other, but the circumstances are less than ideal for them to be together.**

**Merry Christmas everybody!**

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Sometime in May that school year, the school was buzzing at dinner time. Sally was shocked to hear that there had apparently been a fight between Draco and Harry Potter, and that Draco had been seriously hurt.

Her heart was beating fast, she didn't know what to do. Should she go and see him? Would he want to see her? Probably not. But she _had_ to find out how he was doing! She _had_ to know…

She was pondering about what to do, when another small first year came up to her and handed her a note. It was from Professor Dumbledore, who asked her to come and see him right away.

When she got up to his office, Professor Dumbledore reassured her by explaining what had happened to Draco, and that he was going to be alright. He also told her that Draco often hung out on the seventh floor. In fact, it was at the boys' bathroom just a floor below, that the fight had taken place.

When Professor Dumbledore described the area, Sally knew immediately where Draco had been going; the Room of Requirement. She also understood why Professor Dumbledore was telling her this. Clearly, he wanted her to pick up her mission again, and keep an eye on that area to see if she could 'catch' him there.

So Sally took to hanging around the Room of Requirement for a while, being very careful to make sure she wouldn't be noticed by anyone.

And then, one Saturday, she got lucky.

She got to the room just in time to see Draco come out of it. He looked distraught. He was shaking, and she thought she could even see him starting to cry. He was trying not to, but he was obviously struggling. She heard him whisper. She could make out something about someone wanting to kill him.

She carefully came out from behind the statue where she had been hiding. "Draco?" she called out, softly.

He turned around faster then she would have thought possible. His tears were gone almost instantly. "What are _you_ doing here!" he called out to her, with a menacing look. "Leave, you have no business here." He turned away from her.

Obviously, there was no way she was going to leave. She walked towards him, and squeezed in between him and the wall.

"What's the matter with you, Draco?" she asked him, gently touching his face. "What's going on? Who's going to kill you?"

He didn't say anything; he just stared at her. He stared at her for a very long time. Then he finally reached over, pulled her close to him and kissed her. His kiss took her breath away. It felt so pure and genuine, that she could feel her heart open up to him again. He pulled her with him into the Room of Requirement, which looked exactly the way it used to look when they were going there regularly.

He gently lifted her onto the bed, took off just his cloak, and lay down next to her. Then he just held her close to him. He was extremely tense. She thought he must be under a lot of pressure, and decided not to talk for a while. He needed to relax.

They stayed there for at least an hour, not doing much at all. But he was relaxing, she could feel it. Slowly, bit by bit, the tension seemed to be leaving him and his breathing was slowing down to the point where she thought he may be falling asleep. But he didn't. In fact, when he finally seemed fully relaxed, he seemed to come back to life, and started kissing her again.

"Sally," he finally whispered.

He climbed on top of her, buried his face in her neck and moved his hands up to play with her hair. Gently, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he started taking off her clothes, caressing her as he did so. She helped him take off his, and soon they were finally enjoying their togetherness again. Afterwards, as she was lying in his arms, sweating and panting, she wondered how she had ever managed without him. She felt wonderful, fantastic.

"Draco," she whispered.

"Yes?" he answered.

"I love you!"

"_What?_"

"I know, I'm swearing, right?" she smiled at him. "I don't care. It's true, I love you, I love you, I love you! So there!"

He grinned at her. "I know," he said.

And he hugged her even tighter. They stayed like that for a while, until they actually both fell asleep. They stayed in that room for the rest of the day and the following night, alternating between having sex and sleeping. In the morning they had a shower together, and both seemed extremely happy. Draco had obviously cheered up a lot. When they sat back down on the bed after their shower, Sally asked him once again who wanted to kill him, and this time he answered.

He sighed. "I have to kill Dumbledore," he said.

Sally's eyes opened wide. "_What_!" she said, extremely shocked. "You…you are kidding, right?"

He gave her a faint smile. "No, I'm not," he said. "And if I fail, he will kill me _and_ my family."

"_Who_," she said, "Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes, him."

"But… but how are you supposed to do _that_?" she said, unable to hide her horror at the prospect.

He gave her a hug, then looked at her with a grin. "That, sweetie," he said. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" she asked.

He stared at her for awhile, obviously mulling things over in his head.

"I've got to get something done," he said. "And it's not going very well. If I can do it, I'll be able to kill Dumbledore and I'll be the Dark Lord's favorite. But if I can't…"

He looked somber and shook his head. "And I'm really stuck right now. I have no idea what to try next!"

She took his face in her hands and looked him in his eyes. "You have to go see Dumbledore and tell him!" she said.

He moved her hands away. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm _not_ being ridiculous!" she said. "Tell him, please! He'll be able to help you. He _will_ help you! And he will make sure you and your family will be safe!"

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Sally, Sally," he said. "You _know_ I can't do that!"

"But why not?" she urged him. "Why not, Draco? You said so yourself! Voldemort will kill you! What have you got to lose?" Tears started appearing in her eyes.

He just smiled at her as he watched her tears fall, and kissed them away. "Don't worry, sweetie," he said softly. "I'll be fine. I'll be able to do it. I'll manage somehow!"

"But I don't want you to!" she cried out. "I don't want you to kill Dumbledore! And I don't want _you_ to be killed either!"

He frowned, and took her in his arms. He held her for a while, while she cried. When she recovered somewhat, he talked to her again.

"Sally," he said, "Let's not talk about this anymore for now, okay?"

She gave a big sob, but nodded. "Promise me that you'll at least think about it, then?" she said.

He chuckled. "Alright, fine!" he exclaimed. "I promise to think about it, okay? Now, let's see if I can cheer you up a bit."

He started tickling her, she giggled through her tears, and soon they were concentrating on other, much more pleasant activities again.

"Do you know we missed dinner _and_ breakfast?" Sally said later.

"I don't care," he said. "Being with you is much more enjoyable."

"But don't you think people are going to wonder where we are?" she asked.

He grinned. "_I don't care_!" he repeated.

She grinned back at him. "Alright," she said, "but you are getting really thin, you know. You really shouldn't be missing any more meals!"

"You hungry?" he smiled.

"A little," she replied.

"Alright," he said. "You can go. It's almost time for lunch."

"But I want you to go and eat too," she said.

He smiled at her again, and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry, I will," he said. "Just go! I promise I'll go and have lunch soon too."

So she did. She put her clothes back on, gave him one last kiss, and left.

As Sally walked through the hallways, she was wondering what to do next. She probably should go and see Dumbledore. But she really wanted _him_ to go and see Dumbledore, and he'd promised he'd think about it. So she should wait. If it turned out later that he _wasn't_ going to, _then_ she would go and talk to Dumbledore herself, she decided. So she went straight down to her dormitory instead.

"Hey Sally," Mandy said when she spotted Sally. "How was your time with Malfoy?"

Sally frowned at her. "What are you talking about? I've just been… I just wanted to be alone for a little while!"

"Oh yeah, sure." Mandy was grinning broadly now. "Funny. The two of you have been missing since about the same time yesterday!"

"Coincidence," Sally lied.

Everyone seemed to be laughing at her, and Sally hurriedly went upstairs. She guessed she couldn't blame them. It seemed like she was always lying to them! But she really didn't have any other option, did she?

Within half an hour everyone went to lunch, including Sally.

During lunch she wondered where Draco was, but halfway through lunch he finally turned up. He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood and was grinning from ear to ear as he came in. Once he was seated, it seemed half the table was leaning over to talk to him, and soon whispers where flying all through the Great Hall, from person to person and table to table. Soon the rumors reached the Ravenclaw table.

"Sally!" Lisa called out to her. "Apparently Malfoy admitted he was with _you_ all that time!"

Everyone looked at her as Sally turned scarlet, and stared at her food. What happened to keeping it a secret?

"Sally?" inquired Mandy, who was sitting next to her. "Have you been lying to us?" She was grinning, and so was everyone else.

Sally didn't know what to say. Yes, of course she had been lying to them, but should she admit that now? Since Draco had apparently admitted to being with her? And why was he admitting this? And what happened to his mission? Was he abandoning it? And why did he seem so happy?

She shook her head, and answered vaguely, "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Mandy replied. "How can you not know?"

"No, I mean," she began, "I mean I…whatever, forget it, I'm…I'm hungry. I have to eat!"

And she was, she was _starving_, in fact. But everyone was looking at her, some frowning, some laughing. She didn't care. She just ate.

After lunch she entered the entrance hall, where Draco was standing, talking to his Slytherin friends. As soon as she got near, he called out to her. "Sally Perks!" he yelled. And then, a little less loud, but with a big grin on his face, "Hey, wait up!"

She waited, as he approached her. He stood, grinning, in front of her. She looked up at him.

"Come, sweetie," he said. "I need to talk to you."

He grabbed her hand and led her away to a different hallway where he guided her into a deserted classroom. He pushed her against the wall and put an arm on each side of her head, still grinning broadly.

"I did it!" he exclaimed.

"What?" she replied, questioningly, with a frown on her face.

He gave her a big hug. "Thanks to you, sweetheart!" he said. "I couldn't figure it out, because I was so stressed out. I didn't realize it, but I needed to relax. And you made me relax! Once you left I saw it right away, it was easy! But I would never have figured it out before. I couldn't have done, I was going about it the wrong way. Completely!"

She started to experience a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Exactly _what_ did you figure out?" she said, fearing she already knew the answer.

"The thing I told you about this morning," he said. "Remember I told you I was stuck? Well I'm not, not anymore! I need to spend a little bit more time, but I know exactly what to do, now."

She was starting to shake. "You…you," she stammered. "You're going to…you're _not_ going to…_kill_ Dumbledore?"

He nodded slowly, still grinning.

"_NO_!" she cried. "NO! You can't! You mustn't! You have to talk to him, you can't! You can't go and kill him!"

He raised his eyebrows. "I _have_ to!" he said. "You _know_ I have to."

"_No_! You don't have to!" she said. "You have another option! You can talk to him! You _told_ me, you _promised_ me you'd think about that!"

"Sally," he smiled softly. "You know I can't do that. If I'd even _try_, I'd be a traitor, and be killed before the day is up. Do you want _that_?"

"No," she said. "_Of course_ I don't want that! But Dumbledore will help you, I know he will. And you won't die, Dumbledore will make sure of that! Nor will your family! He can protect you!"

"Don't be silly, Sally," he said. "He can't protect me. Nobody can protect anyone from the Dark Lord! Nobody, not even Dumbledore! And besides, he won't be around for much longer anyway. If I don't kill him, someone else will. And it's better if I do it. Better for me, and better for _you_, too."

Sally stared at him. "Dumbledore might kill _you_ if you try to kill him."

Draco shrugged. "Possibly, but much less likely. In any case, I'd rather take my chances against _him_ than against the Dark Lord."

He looked at her. She didn't say anything. Tears were flowing from her eyes again.

"Listen to me, Sally," he said, urgently. "Listen very closely to me. I want you to stay in your dormitory at night from now on. Whatever happens, do not leave! Do you understand that?"

She continued staring at him.

"Promise me," he said.

She shook her head. "No," she whispered.

"You _have_ to! You _have_ to, Sally! I can't help you or protect you, if anything happens. You need to stay away. I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"

She was still shaking her head.

"I have to leave the school soon," he said. "For good. But I'll come and get you. I'll find you! And I'll take you home with me then. Understand? We'll be together, forever. But you have to stay safe for me. You have to! Will you do that? Please?"

She stared at him. He was begging her. He never begged her for anything, ever. But he was begging her now!

"No," she said. "No, Draco, please don't do it! _Please!_"

He hugged her again. "Sally," he said. "Let's…let's spend the afternoon together. Just you and me! It may be our last chance for a really long time!" He looked at her pleadingly.

She shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't want to. I don't want to be with you! Not when you're going to go ahead with what you intend to do!"

She stared up at him, and he frowned at her. "I thought you said you loved me?"

"I did, and I do! But you…you can't…I don't want…"

She gave a great big sob and ran out the door.

She ran back to the entrance Hall, with her head down. She kept on going, and was so upset that she never even noticed that she was being followed, as she set off towards professor Dumbledore's office.

----------

Sally left Dumbledore's office shortly after she had entered it. She had been very surprised by his reaction. She had been in tears, and had told him everything that concerned him (obviously none of the more personal stuff) but he had told her not to worry, that everything was going to be alright. He had thanked her for her efforts and told her she had done a great job, but said he agreed with Draco that she should not leave her dormitory at night from now on.

And that had been all.

She was no longer crying. She felt reassured by his words. He seemed so calm about it, she was sure he must have a plan. And she trusted him. It was going to be alright! So she set off towards her common room, feeling somewhat better than before.

----------

Hermione wondered what the heck was going on. She didn't understand. Obviously she had heard the rumors during lunch and the preceding rumors during the other meals when both Draco and Sally had been absent.

So they had been together. But why? Hermione had been convinced that Sally had given up on both Blaise and Draco because of their views. And she'd been in the D.A. too! Why was she meeting up with Draco now? It did not make sense! He was the enemy after all. What was she doing with him?

And now she was running away from him. And she actually looked like she had been crying! Something didn't seem right, and she was determined to find out what it was. So she followed Sally, and was astounded to see her entering Dumbledore's office. And even more puzzled when she came out about ten minutes later, seemingly happier than she was when she went in!

What was going on?

As soon as she saw them, Hermione told Harry and Ron what she had discovered. Both of them were as puzzled as she was. They talked about it for a while.

"You think she did what she did with Malfoy, just because Dumbledore told her so, maybe?" Harry said.

Hermione shrugged.

Ron stared at Hermione, with his eyes open wide. "Wow," he said. "That's _some_ sacrifice!"

"But why would he possibly ask her to do such a thing?" said Hermione.

"It's very strange," said Harry. "And if Dumbledore _did_ ask her to do this, why did he pick _Sally_, of everyone?"

"Why, _that's_ obvious, isn't it?" said Hermione.

Ron and Harry both looked at her. "It is?" said Harry.

"Of course, he _likes_ her! A lot, even! Don't you remember that whole thing with Zabini in the fourth year?"

Ron and Harry looked puzzled. "What did that have to do with Malfoy?" said Ron.

Hermione now looked puzzled for a moment. "Ohhhh," she said, suddenly. "I forgot. You guys don't know that!"

"Don't know what?" they both asked together.

"I promised her I wouldn't tell," she said, blushing.

"Aw, come on, you _have_ to now!" Ron said.

"I can't give you the specifics," she said. "But Malfoy was jealous of Zabini. _Really_ jealous! And then some things happened. Don't you remember the pajama party rumors?"

"Oh yeah, those," sniggered Harry. "Yeah I remember those! Was _that_ what that was about then?"

"Yes," said Hermione.

"And you knew that all this time and you never told us?" said Ron, aghast.

"No, of course not," said Hermione, "I'd promised!"

"Well you could have told us _something_!" said Ron, "When we were all speculating and you didn't say a word!"

Hermione grinned. "I'm a pretty good secret-keeper, aren't I?" she replied.

"Alright," said Harry, "So he has a crush on her. But what does that mean?" He paused for a moment. "Ahh, of course!"

"What?" said Ron.

"Malfoy is up to something, isn't he? Dumbledore must have wanted her to find out what he's up to!"

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry. "Hm," said Ron, "That _does_ make sense."

"Yes," said Hermione. "It makes perfect sense! She must have found out what he's doing and therefore went straight to Dumbledore, to tell him! And judging by her reaction it's something pretty bad!"

"But why would Malfoy tell her?" said Ron. "She's a Muggle-born! She was in the D.A.! Of _course_ she would tell Dumbledore! He can't be _that_ stupid!"

"That's true," said Harry. "That makes no sense at all. We should talk to her!"

"No," said Hermione. "She obviously has some sort of arrangement with Dumbledore. We cannot interfere with that. Dumbledore knows what he's doing, and Sally _is_ obviously keeping him informed."

Harry didn't exactly agree with that, but Hermione put her foot down, so he reluctantly agreed to at least wait for a little while. Maybe they'd talk to her some other day.

----------

That night all sorts of things happened at Hogwarts. Sally tried to stay in her House, as requested by both Draco and Dumbledore, but she found it far from easy. She stayed in the common room to catch the rumors. First of all, the rumors were that there were Death Eaters in the castle. Some even said Voldemort himself was there (which turned out to be false). There certainly appeared to be fighting going on. Soon, rumors started flying that Draco was involved. And Professor Snape. And finally, the worst of all, the rumor that Professor Dumbledore was killed. Then, by the end of the night, that was no longer a rumor, but a fact.

Professor Dumbledore was dead. Sally felt sick to her stomach. She felt she was partly responsible. Hadn't Draco told her that it was thanks to her that he managed to do what he couldn't do before?

Over the next few days all the facts started coming out. The task Draco had been working on was fixing a vanishing cabinet that apparently served as a gateway. This is how the Death Eaters managed to find their way into the castle. Dumbledore had been out with Harry somewhere, and came back extremely weak. He had faced Draco on the top of a tower, and had been disarmed by him, but for some reason it had been Snape, not Draco, who had killed him in the end. Both Snape and Draco had run off with the Death Eaters at the end of the night.

Sally felt terrible. She felt only slightly better about the fact that it had not been Draco, who had killed him, but _Snape_. Still, none of this would have happened if Draco hadn't fixed that cabinet! But she was also extremely confused. She had warned Dumbledore, had she not? He was aware something was going to happen. Why did he not take any precautions? She was so sure he'd know what to do after she told him her story! How come it had all gone so badly wrong? And now what? What was going to happen now? With the world, and with Hogwarts? And the other question, the one she couldn't stop thinking about. What would happen to Draco?


	26. Surprise

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Here we go, a nice long chapter where we will finally meet Voldemort and find out Sally's big secret.**

**I would like to mention that, aside from one very short paragraph quite a bit further into the story (which is intended to chill the reader to the core), there will be no Voldemort POV's in this story. This is on purpose. He's a very complex individual, and his words and actions often do not match his thoughts. Giving his POV would mean giving away vital information, which I have chosen to avoid.**

**Also, unlike my other story (firsts) where Voldemort is almost _completely_ heartless, it is possible you may detect _some_ 'feelings' in this one. If you pay attention. And look very closely. In a very selfish way of course. Eventually. Possibly... :)**

**On the other hand, you may also find him to be more evil in this story than he is in firsts. He's fully grown now, after all.**

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Sally had gone back home just like everyone else after Professor Dumbledore's funeral. She had taken up her life again as it was the summer before, staying with her father and working at a local restaurant to earn a little spending money. However, she had also taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet, to keep up with what was going on in the wizarding world.

Sometime in early August, it became clear that Voldemort was winning the war. The ministry had fallen, the Minister of Magic was dead. Had Draco been right after all? Was this it? Sally did not get a letter from Hogwarts this summer. Instead she got a summons from the ministry! She was supposed to appear on charges of being a Muggle who had illegally obtained the ability to perform magic, and had been put on a 'Muggle-born registry'. She knew what that meant, and she knew that if she went to her 'trial', she would not come back. The persecution of Muggle-borns had begun, and to survive, she was going to have to run and hide.

So she had her back pack ready with everything she thought she might need, and carried it everywhere with her, just in case. She worked as much as she could to save up as much money as she could; she thought she was bound to need some when she was on the run. She tried to stay at her home for as long as possible, so she was able to continue working, and would leave only when she had no other option left.

And so it was that one day, at the restaurant, some people appeared in some very unusual Muggle clothes, who were asking for Sally-Anne Perks. Sally had been in the kitchen at the time, and when the waitress told her they were asking for her, she took one look at them and knew this was it, her time had come. She went out into the backyard as quietly as she could, her backpack with her, turned on the spot and disapparated.

Sally arrived in a little village in the South of England were she had once spent a day with her mom when she was very young. Her mom had still been healthy then and they had had a very nice day. It really was the only other place she knew of in England, which is why she had picked it. It was a very small town, but full of people on vacation so she could easily and happily remain anonymous.

She rented a small room in a boarding house and spent most of her days walking around the town and the country side. She realized that her long blonde hair made her very noticeable, so she was now always wearing a dark-brown short haired wig. She tried to attract as little attention as she could, and therefore would not wear any make-up or the kind of clothes that would get her noticed.

She spent several weeks in the village, and nothing eventful happened. But she knew that in the wizarding world things were getting worse by the day (she was still receiving the Daily Prophet). Lord Voldemort seemed to be controlling everything now, and even Hogwarts seemed to be under his command, notably since apparently _Snape_ had been appointed as headmaster, and kids entering Hogwarts had to proof their blood status. Muggle-borns were no longer allowed in, and for all other wizarding kids Hogwarts was now mandatory. She sighed deeply. She was upset to think that she could no longer return to Hogwarts. She would miss it; she had been looking forward to starting work towards her N.E.W.T.'s.

She wondered if Draco would go back to school. She guessed he would. Since even _Snape_ had been able to go back, there would be absolutely no reason why _he_ couldn't. She was at a loss as to what she would do next, though. She couldn't stay at the village forever; she was starting to run out of money for one thing. She'd have to find a job somewhere, probably living her life as a Muggle from now on. It would be the safest thing to do.

It was a depressing thought. She looked at a calendar. September 1 was only a few days away. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving without her this year. But it wasn't just her, Hermione wouldn't be able to go back either. And many others! None of the Muggle-borns would be able to go back; they were all in the same boat. She wished she knew where some of them were, but she had no way of finding out. Obviously, none of them would _want_ to be found!

That night she decided to go to the local pub for a drink. She stayed for longer than she should, worrying about her future and pondering about the next steps she should take, and she didn't notice a group of four rowdy men coming in and standing near her.

One of the guys, with short, messy black hair and rotting teeth, walked up to her and grinned. "Hello there, pretty," he said to her. "What 'ye doing here all by yourselves?"

She looked at him with revulsion. "Nothing that concerns you," she replied.

"Hmm. Not exactly friendly, are you, my sweet?" the guy said.

A fat blond guy went to stand on her other side. "She's all alone, Jack, I think she needs a bit of company," he said with a grin, as he put an arm on her shoulders.

She pulled his arm off. "I'm perfectly fine by myself; I don't need your company. And please don't touch me," she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset ye," said the blond as he moved in closer until his arm brushed hers. "How about you let me buy you a drink to make up?"

"No thanks," she said, as she got up. "In fact, I was just about to leave."

And she resolutely got up and made her way out of the pub, leaving the men behind. As she walked off, though, they were leering at her, throwing meaningful looks at each other. Sally had a feeling they might follow her, but she was not afraid. She had her wand with her, and would use it if need be. There was no way any Muggle would be able to do anything against the magic she'd be able to throw at him, so she felt quite safe.

What she hadn't counted on, though, was that _these_ men… happened to be wizards too.

Sure enough, she had only just rounded the corner when they caught up with her. The blond guy and the guy called Jack were now standing in front of her, blocking her way, and the other two were waiting on either side of her.

"You really _do_ look miserable, my pretty," said the man called Jack. "So me and my friends have decided to come and cheer you up!" He grinned lasciviously.

"You better get out of my way," she said, looking at them fiercely, her hand on her wand.

One of the men standing next to her, put his hand in her hair and held it tight, as he tried to steer her face towards him. "Why so harsh, baby? When we could have so much fun! How about a little kiss?"

He leaned in towards her. She jerked her head away from him. Since he was still holding her hair, this caused her wig to come off. He just stood there, looking in surprise at the wig he was holding in his hand as Sally's long blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, causing the others to gasp in amazement. Sally was quick, and stunned the blond and the man holding her wig within seconds.

"Look out, she's a witch!" said the guy on the other side of her, and as she turned towards the guy called Jack, she noticed he was holding a wand too.

He grinned at her, but before he could do anything, she had _him_ stunned too. Unfortunately, though, she wasn't so lucky with the fourth one. Her wand flew out of her hand into his before she had the chance to fully turn around to face him. The next thing she knew ropes were flying out of his wand and binding her wrists and her feet.

"Wow, you're a feisty one!" he grinned at her, as he was reviving his friends.

Struggling to get back on his feet, the guy called Jack exclaimed, "Holy mackerel, this girl's quick as a whip!"

The guy with the wig was still holding it as he got up. "What the _heck_ were you wearing this stupid wig for?" he asked her, astonished.

"Don't be stupid, Jerry!" said the blond. "_Obviously_, she's hiding! She must be a Muggle-born!"

The guy who had disarmed her, looked at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Cool! We found another one then!" he said.

"Yeah!" said the blond, moving towards her and holding her face in his hands. "And with a face like _that_, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd fetch us a little more than the usual 10 Galleons!"

"For 10 Galleons, I'd keep her myself!" said the man called Jack, grinning broadly.

"Well, let's look it up!" said the guy who had disarmed her, as he took a roll of parchment out of his pocket.

"Wait, let's take her to the meeting place first, just in case someone sees us here," said the blond.

He grabbed her and, via side-along apparition, they all ended up in a shabby little shack somewhere.

"Alright Greg, now let's look her up." And then, addressing Sally, he said, "Go and be a good girl and give us your name, sweetie!"

He stuck his wand under her chin as he said this. Sally's brains were working fervently. What should she say? She knew she'd be in trouble, whatever she said. She didn't see any point in lying, other than that that would probably anger them. So she decided to give them her name.

"Sally Perks, Sally Perks," mumbled the guy called Greg. "Ahhh! Got her, right here!" He started whistling slowly.

"What? What is it?" exclaimed the blond, as he quickly ran over to look over his shoulder. "WOW! Look at this! 5,000 Galleons! That's the highest I've seen so far, other than Potter!"

"5,000!" said Jack. "Are you sure? Do we have the right person? She may have given us a different name!"

"No, look here," said Greg. "It says under comments, 'Very pretty with long golden blonde hair.' It's definitely her!"

"Does it say anything else?" said Jerry. They were all huddled around the parchment now.

"Yes," said Greg. "Here, 'Do not harm, and bring immediately to Draco Malfoy at Malfoy Manor.'"

Greg now started staring at Sally. "Malfoy, that's one of the Death Eaters, ain't he?"

"Yeah," said the blond. "Better do as it says then. Let's bring her back now, and get our money!"

"Wait a minute, not so fast," said Jack, as he turned and started moving towards her. "She's a really pretty one! I was looking forward to a bit of fun with her! Why can't we do that first?"

"Jack, you idiot," said Greg, "It says not to hurt her! You want to make a Death Eater angry?"

"I'm not going to hurt her," said Jack, grinning. "I'll just warm her up a bit for him."

With that, he wrapped an arm around her and started kissing her in her neck. Sally winced and tried to move away from him, as the other three looked on. Jack pushed her on the floor and dove on top of her, at which point Greg sighed deep and pulled him off of her.

"You're going to lose us our money," he said. "Stay away from her!"

Jack pulled his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" he yelled as he immobilized Greg. "I'm going to have some fun, and that's the end of that!" he shouted, as he forced himself on top of her again.

Sally screamed as she could smell his putrid breath in her face, "Don't! Get _off_ me. You'll be in a _lot_ of trouble, I swear!"

"Yeah, yeah, right," he said. "I won't be in trouble for fucking a filthy _Mudblood_! What do you think will happen to you at Malfoy Manor? Hehehe!"

He stuck his left hand inside her pants, then withdrew it with a scream and rolled off of her, clutching it with his right hand, moaning in agony. He swore loudly. The other two started laughing.

"Did she burn you, Jack?" the blond guy cackled. "Hehehe, she's obviously been claimed!"

Jack swore some more, as he held his hand between his legs. "Be happy it's just your hand, mate," said Jerry, grinning, as he took out his wand and revived Greg.

When Greg got back on his feet he was fuming. "You could have ruined everything, you imbecile!" he yelled at Jack, as he pulled Sally back up to her feet. "Now, let's take her, before you have any more of your brilliant ideas!"

Sally blinked away the tears in her eyes. She felt violated and shocked, and disgusted and angry at this man called Jack, who would have undoubtedly raped her, had she not still had Draco's claim. The thought was making her feel sick and she thought she might throw up any minute now.

Once again all of them apparated, this time to the Malfoy Manor grounds. She heard the men say to the gate that they had come to see Draco Malfoy, and that they had a prisoner for him, called Sally Perks.

----------

Inside Malfoy Manor, Voldemort was talking to Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Severus Snape, Goyle Sr., and two other Death Eaters. Draco was also in the room with them, when a house elf came to call.

"Master Draco," she said. "There is some men at the door saying they have prisoner for Master. A Sally Perks?"

Everyone in the room was now looking from the elf to Draco, all with great surprise etched on their faces. Draco looked nervous and unsure what to do.

"Well," Voldemort said, finally. "You heard the elf, Draco! You must go and see to your… _prisoner_."

"Y…Yes, my Lord, thank you," mumbled Draco, as he hurried out of the room.

"_Who_ is this… Sally Perks?" Voldemort asked, as soon as Draco left the room.

"A Mudblood, my Lord," grinned Goyle Sr. "An unusually pretty one, if I may say so. She was in Draco's year at Hogwarts, and I think Draco might have had some, er… 'relations' with her."

"I will take care of this immediately, my Lord," said Lucius Malfoy, as he made a move towards the door.

"No, Lucius. Stay here," said Voldemort, as he seemed to be considering something.

Then an unfathomable smile spread over his face. "Bellatrix, go get them. _All of them_, and bring them here. Draco, the girl, and the men who brought her here."

"Yes, my Lord," Bellatrix answered, as she left the room.

Within moments, Bellatrix was back, pushing Sally on the floor in the middle of the room, Draco and the four men following along in her path. Voldemort stared at Sally for a moment, then approached her.

"Well, good evening, Miss… Sally Perks, is it?" he said, while he looked at her with curiosity.

"Yes, sir," she replied.

He grinned at her. "Do you know who _I_ am, Sally?"

Sally shook her head as she observed the extremely scary looking man standing in front of her. He was tall and skeletally thin. His face was white, he had slits instead of a nose, and vivid scarlet eyes.

"_I_ am Lord Voldemort," he said. "Maybe you have heard of me?"

Sally swallowed hard. It was… _him_. So now, she was going to die. She was sure of it. "Y…Yes," she stammered.

"Hmm," said Voldemort with a frown. "I would like to be treated with the proper respect, so you will need to address me as 'my Lord'. Okay, Sally?"

Sally looked up at him but didn't say anything.

Voldemort raised his eyebrows. "Ms. Perks?" he said.

Sally was shaking. "No," she said, defiantly.

A gasp went up all over the room.

"You will not?" Voldemort said quietly, as he narrowed his eyes. He took out his wand and tapped it on his hand. "Are you sure?"

Sally nodded. She knew she would probably be killed now, but at least it would be over with quickly that way. She closed her eyes, waiting for the blow that would undoubtedly come soon. Voldemort lifted his wand. Then, suddenly, she heard _Draco_ scream and writhe in agony behind her.

Her eyes opened wide. "No!" she screamed. "_No_, stop! Don't hurt _him_! Please! I'll…I'll do it, I will! Please _stop_, my…my Lord!"

Voldemort withdrew his wand and the screaming stopped. Draco lay panting on the floor.

"_Much_ better," Voldemort said to Sally. "Now get up!"

Sally got up.

"You seem to like Draco, don't you, Sally?" he smirked.

Sally glanced at Draco, who was still lying on the floor. "I…I do, my Lord," she said, trembling.

"He seems to like _you_ too," Voldemort stated.

Then he turned to the four men. "How much is he paying you for her?"

The blond guy grinned carefully. "5,000 Galleons, my Lord."

"5,000 Galleons!" repeated Voldemort. "He _does_ like you, Sally!"

Then he turned around and looked at a giant snake in the corner. "Nagini, please go stand guard near the front door," he said, with a quick glance at Sally as he did so. The snake immediately left the room.

"Now, Sally," Voldemort continued. "Did these men treat you well before they brought you here?"

Sally gave him a puzzled look and shook her head.

"They did not?" he said, as he raised his eyebrows. "What happened, Sally?"

"One…one of them tried to rape me, my Lord," she replied, looking down at the floor.

"Did he now," he said, smirking as he looked at the four men, who looked scared. "Which one, Sally?"

She pointed out the man called Jack.

"Which one of you has her wand," Voldemort called out to the men.

"I…I do, my Lord," said Greg.

"Give it to me."

Greg handed him Sally's wand. Then Voldemort flicked his own wand and Jack flew across the room, landing in between her and himself. Next he turned his wand on Sally and she felt her bindings break. She was free!

"What's your name," Voldemort said, as he pointed his wand on Jack.

"J…Jack, my Lord," he said, with a shaky voice.

Voldemort smiled at him encouragingly. "So you tried to rape the Mudblood, Jack," he said. "How come you did not succeed?"

Heartened by Voldemort's encouraging words and smile, Jack replied. "She'd been claimed, my Lord," he said. "I couldn't touch her."

A grin came over Voldemort's face. "Ahhh, a _claim_!" he said. "Tell me, what did you burn, Jack?"

"My hand," Jack said.

Sally could hear Draco gritting his teeth behind her.

"Show me," said Voldemort pleasantly.

Jack grinned at Voldemort, and almost proudly held up his hand, where the burn marks were clearly visible. The red slits in Voldemort's eyes appeared to be twinkling.

"Now, Sally," he said, looking back at her, his voice suddenly sounding much harsher than it had done before. "Do you think this man should be punished for what he tried to do to you?"

Sally nodded carefully.

"Would you like to hurt him?"

"Yes, my Lord," Sally said softly.

He grinned. "Do you know how to perform the Cruciatus Curse, Sally?"

Jack winced.

"N…No, my Lord," Sally replied.

"You need to concentrate on how much you would like to hurt him," Voldemort said. "The spell is 'Crucio'. Now, why don't you give it a try?"

He threw her wand at her, and it landed neatly in her hand. Sally stared at him, open-mouthed. He let her have her wand back? What was this all about?

"Go on," he urged her. "Do it!"

Sally pointed her wand at Jack. "Crucio!" she called out.

Jack fell on the ground and screamed for a brief moment. Then he stopped.

Voldemort shook his head. "That was…_pathetic_. Concentrate, Sally. _Really_ try to hurt him. _Feel_ the _hate_! Go on, try it again!"

Sally looked at Jack. She _did_ hate him. Hated him for what he had tried to do to her! He had touched her and he would have done a lot more. Yes, she _did_ hate him!

"Crucio!" she shouted again.

He screamed again. And this time it did not stop. He continued screaming and writhing in agony.

Voldemort smiled. "Much better! But that's enough." And with a flick of his wand, he ended it. "Now," he continued, as he stared at her intently. "_Kill him_."

"_What_?" said Sally, shocked.

"You heard me," he said, his voice now soft and intimidating. "Kill him. Same idea, but the words are 'Avada Kedavra'. Go on!"

"No!" said Sally, horrified.

"_Kill him_," hissed Voldemort. "He touched you. He tried to rape you. He deserves to be killed. _Do it_, Sally. _Now!_"

"_No_," said Sally, as she put her wand away. "I won't kill him! I'm not killing anybody!"

Jack's three friends were staring from Voldemort to Sally and back, fear evident in their expressions.

Voldemort frowned disappointedly. "_Fine_." Then he turned his wand on Jack, and called out, "Avada Kedavra!"

A green light shot out of his wand and hit Jack, who collapsed immediately. Sally gasped, and put her hands over her mouth. Everyone stared at Jack's lifeless body.

"Take him away," he said to two of his Death Eaters. "Take him to Nagini."

He turned to Sally. "Where is Nagini, Sally? My snake?"

Sally felt herself choking up. "She…she's standing guard near the front door, isn't she?" she said in a confused and shaky voice.

Voldemort laughed softly. "Right," he said, and pointed to two of his Death Eaters. "She's near the front door, take him there. She'll take care of… _Jack_."

Then he turned back to Sally. "What about the other three, did they do anything to you?" He nodded towards the other three, now terrified men.

"N…No," Sally stammered.

"Alright. Lucius, pay them their 5,000 Galleons and get rid of them."

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied.

He waited patiently for the men to remove Jack's body, and for Lucius Malfoy to reappear. Then he turned his attention to Sally again. "Now, Sally, come over here."

Sally approached him carefully.

"Come closer, my dear!" he said smiling wickedly.

She stopped about 2 feet away from him, and shivered as she looked at his eyes, the red slits clearly visible. He looked her up and down, checking her out.

"I was told, Sally, that you were exquisitely beautiful," he said. "And I must say, I believe that's right."

He took a step forward, thereby further reducing the space between them, and touched her face. She felt a chill going through her body.

"I think I might have you _myself_."

Sally felt the blood drain away from her face. She gulped.

"But," Voldemort said. "There is, of course, that small issue of that claim. Who is the holder, Sally?"

Sally didn't reply.

"Never mind," Voldemort said. "It is Draco, is it not?"

Sally was starting to feel nauseous.

Voldemort turned towards Draco, who'd also gone white as a sheet now. "As I thought," said Voldemort, continuing to smile. "Draco, take off your claim."

Draco swallowed hard. "N…no, my Lord," he said.

"Draco, don't be stupid, do as your master tells you!" Lucius shouted at him.

But Voldemort silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Draco," he said again. "I suggest you take off that claim."

He shook his head.

Voldemort lifted his wand, and once again Draco was yelling in agony.

"_No!_" Sally screamed as she fell on her knees. "Please, please don't hurt him!"

Voldemort grinned and stopped. "Was that enough, Draco?"

Draco nodded.

"Will you take it off now, then?"

Draco sat back on his knees and shook his head. "No. I won't!"

Then he was screaming once again. Sally begged Voldemort to stop, but this time he did not listen and continued torturing Draco. When he finally _did_ stop, Draco was gasping for air.

"Now, perhaps _that_ was enough?" said Voldemort. "Will you take it off _now_?"

But Draco continued shaking his head. Voldemort lifted his wand again.

This time, Sally crawled to his feet, screaming, as tears were falling down her cheeks, "NO! NO! Don't! Don't do it, no more, please, PLEASE! _I'll_ do it! I'll take it off myself! But please don't hurt him anymore, please!"

Voldemort grinned at her. "No," he said. "I want _Draco_ to remove it, not you."

Draco was still shaking his head.

"No?" said Voldemort. "Then I'm just going to have to kill you, Draco. That will remove the spell too, you know?"

"_**NO!!!**_" yelled Sally.

"Draco?" said Voldemort, holding his wand aloft.

"Draco!" yelled Lucius, a terrified expression on his face. "_Do it!_"

"No," said Draco in a hoarse whisper. "I'd rather _die_!"

Voldemort laughed softly and lowered his wand. "Excellent," he said. And he turned to Lucius.

"Lucius," he said. "I believe these two really _do_ 'love' each other. Maybe they should get _married_. What do you say, Lucius?"

"M…My Lord? I…I don't understand!"

"Maybe your son, Draco, should marry this girl?"

"B…but my Lord! She is a…a _Mudblood_!"

"No," Voldemort said as he shook his head slowly. "She is not a Mudblood, Lucius. She is a half-blood."

"A…a half-blood, my Lord?" said Lucius, in a surprised voice.

"Yes, Lucius, she is a _half-blood_. _Now_, do you think they can marry each other?"

Lucius stared at him. "I…I guess so, if you are sure…"

"Good," said Voldemort. "It is decided then. Your son may marry… my _daughter_." He grinned, as a gasp went up throughout the room. Then he added, "After they finish school, of course."

Everyone stared at Voldemort in shock. Lucius seemed unable to talk.

Sally was the first one to break the silence. "_Y_…_you_ are _not_ my father!" she stammered.

Voldemort laughed softly. "Ah, but I _am_, Sally," he said, looking down at her.

"_No_," she said, not willing to believe what he was saying. "You're not! Mom would have told me!"

He grinned again. "She might have done, had she remembered it."

"What?" said Sally, puzzled.

"You must have heard of memory charms, Sally?"

Sally stared at him, and then shook her head. "No," she said. "It's not possible! She was…she was married! She would never have been unfaithful to my dad!"

"Perhaps not willingly," Voldemort said, smiling maliciously.

"What?" said Sally. "You…you _raped_ her?"

He just grinned at her, took a step forward and stroked her hair. "You look just like your mother, Sally," he said. "Mrs. Linette Perks… I remember her well. You're just as beautiful as she was. I intended to return one day, but my life got… well, somewhat turned upside down. Maybe I will visit her again, sometime."

"She's dead," Sally said abruptly.

Voldemort's face darkened. "Is she?" he said, frowning. He stared at her eyes. "I see," he said finally. "Pity."

Sally was trembling. "But even if…even if what you're saying _is_ true, it still doesn't mean that I'm your daughter! She was with my dad too, after all! I'm much more likely to be his!"

Voldemort laughed out loud now. "Sally," he began. "Your… 'parents' were unable to conceive! Your mother was convinced it was because of _her_, which is why I did not feel the need to take… precautions."

He smirked at her. "Clearly, it was not your mother, who was the infertile one. Besides, you're a witch. Neither your mother nor your 'presumed' father are magical."

Sally gulped. She didn't believe it. She didn't _want_ to believe it! This _had_ to be a mistake…he _had_ to be wrong! "So I'm a Muggle-born!" she exclaimed.

He looked down at her, his eyes narrowed. "You're a Parselmouth, Sally. Do you know how rare that is?"

"A what?" said Sally.

"A Parselmouth," said Voldemort. "You can talk to snakes."

"No I can't!" said Sally, confused.

"Then how did you know where Nagini was?"

"Because, you…you told her to go and stand guard at the front door, didn't you?"

"Yes I did," he said. "But no one here except you and me could understand that."

She looked around in horror at the faces of the people around her. Nobody said anything; they all stared at her and Voldemort.

"A Mudblood who is also a Parselmouth is unheard of," said Voldemort. "They don't exist."

"No," said Sally. "No, _no_! This can't be true! It can't!" she was swaying dangerously.

"You must have been born around February, right?" said Voldemort with a smirk.

And with that, she fainted.

----------

Sally awoke about half an hour later on a soft, silky bed. Draco was standing over her, grinning. She looked around.

"Hello, sleepy-head!" he said, leaning over her and stroking her hair.

"Draco," she whispered. "Did I just…it was…I had a dream, didn't I?"

Draco shook his head. "If you mean about you being the Dark Lord's daughter, then no, that was no dream."

Sally sat upright in the bed. "No!" she cried. "No, no, NO! I can't be! It can't, it can't!"

She shook her head and kept shaking it, as tears were welling up behind her eyelids.

He sat on the bed next to her and took her in his arms. "It's okay," he said. "It's not as bad as it seems. There are a lot of positives to this, you know!"

"Like what!" she shouted, clearly shaken.

"Well, like us," he said, smiling. "You're no longer a Mudblood. You heard my dad, apparently we, er… we're getting married!" He chuckled.

"No," she said again. "I don't…I don't _want_ to get married!"

He smiled an understanding smile. "Yeah, I know," he said. "It _is_ a little early for that. But they don't mean right away. Just...eventually. But at least we can be together! Here, see, they're even letting you stay in my room!"

Sally stared at him. He didn't understand. "He's a maniac! A murderer, a racist, and a rapist. He's evil!" Sally began.

Draco shrugged. "He's going to be ruling the world, though. He practically _is_, already. And it's not _your_ fault your dad's like that, is it?" He grinned at her.

She did _not_ smile back.

"Do you know you're living _here_ now?" he said.

She stared at him. "I am?"

"Yes," he said. "Right here! Of course we'll have to go back to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow, but we'll be coming back here together for the breaks." He kissed her softly on her cheek. "You tired?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied.

"Alright," he said. "I'll let you sleep then. For now."

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**A/N: Voldemort came very close, in this chapter, to killing Sally, even though he knew practically from the moment he heard her name, that she was his daughter. He was 'testing' her, and had she disappointed him, he would have eliminated her without ever even admitting to anybody that she was his daughter. As far as he's concerned, any child of his that does not have _some_ sort of use, is not worth keeping around.**


	27. Ministerial Issues

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks a lot again for your review! You are very, very right. Voldemort is **_**far**_** from a 'family man'! He never intended to kill Draco, though. He was just 'playing' with him.**

**Alex, thank you very much for your review again too! And no, Emma is indeed _not_ Sally's mother... :)**

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Sally woke up with a shock the following morning early. She had been dreaming. It had involved Voldemort insisting she'd kill all her friends. She took a deep breath and tried to get rid of the horrifying image in her mind. She looked beside her and saw Draco still sound asleep, and studied him. He looked terrible! He was still painfully thin, and his face was grey and gaunt. There were dark circles around his eyes. The life he had been leading lately obviously wasn't exactly agreeing with him.

But he did not look unhappy right now, he seemed peaceful and relaxed. She had a strong urge to touch him, to wake him, but she didn't. He must be exhausted, and certainly looked like he could use a good, restful sleep.

Sally got up, found the bathroom and took a shower. She had felt disgusting and dirty after Jack had touched her.

Jack. A chill went through her body. He was dead! Dead because of her! The thought made her feel sick. Yes, she hated him for what he had done to her, but had he deserved to die? Voldemort had killed him just for _attempting_ to do something, something he _himself_ had done too, to her _mother_, years ago! And that hadn't even been just an attempt. No, _he_ had actually succeeded. _She_, apparently, was proof of that.

If anyone deserved to die, it would be Voldemort. She thought of her mother, her beautiful, wonderful, sweet and caring mother. Had she not _already_ despised Voldemort, she would have done now, after learning what he had done to _her_, even if he _did_ turn out to be her father.

Father… _ugh_, the thought made her feel nauseous again. She shook her head. The man she had thought to be her father had been bad enough, but now! She swallowed hard, as she realized she preferred _him_ a thousand times over the man she now knew to be her father.

As she got dressed she was thinking about what to do next. Did she want to marry Draco? She thought not. Yes, she _did_ love him. She sighed. Merlin knew she did! He was probably the only person in the world that she truly loved.

But she would never be able to live with his ideas about how the world was supposed to operate! She shivered as she thought of all her Muggle-born friends (in particular Hermione) and how they were now treated. And he was fine with that! So, how could she _possibly_ marry him? She was starting to feel hollow, and empty. She was not happy, far from it. She didn't feel any better off than she was a few days ago in that little village, when she didn't think she had much of a future anymore. She still didn't!

She noticed her wand lying on a table near de bed, and picked it up. Without much thought, she left the room and started wandering around. It was very quiet, she assumed everyone in the house was still asleep. She found a door to the outside and took it, strolling onto the grounds.

What was she supposed to do now? Should she go back to the village? Clearly she could no longer hide there. Besides, there was no point, she was no longer in any immediate danger. She should probably just pick up her stuff from there and do as she was told, go back to school tomorrow. She smiled. For the first time in weeks, she had at least _something_ to smile about! She was going back to Hogwarts!

She thought about what Draco had told her last night. She was living at Malfoy Manor now. She gave a mirthless laugh. In fact, she was actually living in Draco's room! But did she _want_ that? She sighed. The answer was clearly _no_. She did not want to live in his room, she didn't even want to live in his house! She did not want to live under the same roof as all these horrible people that were living there, in particular…she felt herself choking up. In particular this…this megalomaniac, this mass murderer, this evil, evil person, this man…who now had turned out to be her _father_!

She started to shake uncontrollably. She just could not get used to that fact. No, she'd rather go back to her real home, the place she used to live with her mother. She wondered if she would be allowed to? She supposed she could ask. It felt strange knowing that she would have to ask _permission_ for that. Permission to live at her _own_ home! It seemed ridiculous! And yet, she had a strong feeling that she would _not_ be allowed to. Was it even worth asking? She sighed. She owed it to herself to at least try. But _who_ would she ask? There was no way she ever wanted to talk to…_'him'_… again!

She had reached the end of the grounds. She had gotten this far, she might as well pick up her stuff from the village, the things that were still in the boarding house. It wasn't much, but she didn't want to leave it behind. Besides, she would need to pay her bill for her stay there, she might as well settle it. So she turned on the spot and apparated back to the village.

She had settled her affairs there quite quickly, although she had had some funny looks because of her hair, as she had lost her wig. But when she tried to apparate back to the spot where she came from at Malfoy Manor, she found that she couldn't get back there. She shrugged. She assumed they must have some protective charms in place that stopped people apparating onto the grounds. That would make sense, after all. Since it appeared to be the Death Eaters' headquarters, they wouldn't want just anybody turning up uninvited and unexpected. But how was she going to get back?

She decided she'd worry about that later. She might as well go back home now, drop off her backpack and maybe see if she could find some of her friends to say goodbye. So she apparated back home. Once there, she dropped her stuff into her room and walked into the kitchen. She was hungry, so she sat down for a bit of breakfast.

But halfway through her cereal suddenly two men appeared in the kitchen, who turned out to be ministry officials. They arrested her and told her they would take her to the ministry for questioning.

Once at the ministry she had to hand in her wand at a desk, and was taken to a place where she was told that she would 'stand trial', on charges of being accused of being a Muggle-born, failing to turn up for her scheduled hearing and evading arrest.

Confused at first, she realized pretty soon that the fact that she was Voldemort's daughter clearly had not made its way to the ministry. Would she tell them? She chuckled. Yeah, as if they would actually believe her! No chance of that! They'd think she was trying to wriggle out of any kind of sentence they would bestow on her. So now what?

She was starting to feel scared, something that wasn't exactly helped by a bunch of creatures that she assumed could only be dementors, who were patrolling the hallways of the place where she was told to await her trial.

When it was _her_ turn and she walked into the room, she realized with a shock that she knew the lady who was apparently presiding over the procedures. Professor Umbridge!

"Well," said Umbridge, "see here, another familiar face! Ms. Sally-Anne Perks!"

Any hope of preferential treatment because of the familiarity was extinguished quickly with her subsequent remarks.

"This will be a quick one, Yaxley. She's _obviously_ a Mudblood, I know since I have been teaching her," she explained to the man next to her. "And she's a rebel too, she was a member of the D.A.!"

Then she turned to Sally. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves, Ms. Perks?"

Sally felt a surge of anger for this horribly disgusting, power crazy woman. "Yes, I have!" she cried out. "So what, if I am a Muggle-born? I didn't steal any magic. Magic cannot be stolen! I didn't ask to be a witch and I cannot help who my parents are. Nobody can! But we have to deal with whatever we get, and it's _how_ we choose to use our talents, that matters, much more than who we get it from!"

She swallowed hard as she realized what she had just said, and how true it was, even in her current situation. _So_ she had a power-crazy maniac as a father, that didn't mean she had to become like him! She could do good things with the gifts she got, even if she _did_ get them from _him_! She would just have to remember that.

Umbridge smiled with her trademark sugary smile. "Ms. Perks," she said. "You'll find that it certainly _does_ matter _who_ you get your talents from. _Your_ talents, for example, are practically non-existent! Having taught you myself, I think that I am in a very good position to judge that! Your reliance on other people around you has been astounding, Ms. Perks, and if it hadn't been for them, you would not have got anywhere. A classic example of how you Muggle-borns are stealing your knowledge from us, _real_ wizards and witches. You are a mediocre witch at best, without any special talents whatsoever."

Sally was staring at Umbridge in shock. She had to be kidding! A mediocre witch? She? She would show that tart! And she concentrated with all her might.

"Anyway," continued Umbridge, still smiling sweetly. "This…" But she couldn't say anything else. Her smile had finally disappeared, and she was clutching her throat. She was trying to speak, but no words came out.

"Dolores?" said the man standing next to her.

"I am _not_ a mediocre witch!" cried Sally.

The man turned sharply to Sally. "Are you doing this?" he said.

Sally nodded.

He took out his wand and pointed it at her. "Then stop it!" he said. "Stop it, or you will be killed!"

Sally stopped, and Umbridge finally relaxed. She shot Sally a furious look. "How _dare_ you!" she yelled. "You will be punished for this!"

"How did you do that, without a wand?" said the man, apparently called Yaxley, frowning.

Sally smiled. "I was just using my…special talents," she said. "The ones that I apparently don't have."

"You will be taken to Azkaban without delay," said Umbridge. "Take her away!" she shouted at the dementors.

Sally looked nervously at the dementors, who were now approaching her. "You, er…" she said. "You may want to check with Malfoy Manor first. You could get into trouble for this!"

Umbridge laughed out loud now. "Malfoy Manor! And _why_ would we do that? What difference would _that_ make?"

Sally shrugged. "I don't know, just tell them you're sending me to Azkaban. They might have some, er… _objections_."

The dementors had already taken her arms and were pulling her away from her chair. She shivered. She was cold, and the feeling of despair she'd been having all the time she had been in that room was reaching a peak.

She was looking at Umbridge, with her sickening laugh, as she vaguely heard the man next to Umbridge talk.

He was looking at a scroll of parchment and pointing something out to Umbridge, who had stopped laughing.

As through a haze, she saw Umbridge gesturing at the dementors, who took her back to her chair and released her. They maintained their positions at her side, however.

"Why on earth," said Umbridge now, as she was staring at the piece of parchment that the man next to her had handed her, "would Draco Malfoy pay 5,000 Galleons for you?"

Sally realized she was looking at a copy of the 'wanted-people' list that the snatchers from yesterday had been using too. "I don't know," she said. "Why don't you ask him?"

She was now enclosed by a dense mist, and felt herself slowly getting lost in it, before she finally lost consciousness.

----------

When she opened her eyes again, she was sitting in a plush armchair in a small room. Umbridge was still there, but Sally did not see the man who had been next to Umbridge at the trial. She _did_ see Draco, his arms folded and a grim look on his face. Umbridge was the first to spot Sally's awakening, and smiled.

"Ah, she has come to!" she exclaimed, and rushed over to Sally, pushing a piece of chocolate in her hand. "Here, eat this, Ms. Perks, you'll feel better!"

She stood in front of Sally with her disgustingly sickening smile and appeared to be waiting for her to start eating the chocolate. After Sally reluctantly took a bite, she continued.

"Silly girl," she said, and Sally thought she detected a tremble in her voice. "Why didn't you tell us who your father was? There would have been no need to go through all that you had to go through! If only we had known!"

Sally didn't say a word, but gave her an acid look. The woman disgusted her more than anything.

"Whatever," she heard Draco say. "We should get back as soon as possible. Are you okay, Sally?"

She nodded.

"Alright, let's go then," he said.

As they were walking back to the atrium, Umbridge was following her. "Ms. Perks," she squeaked. "You, er… you know I was joking, of course, when I said you had no talent! You _do_ know that, don't you?" She gave a nervous giggle. "I apologize, I didn't realize you'd think I was serious! I would never…had I known…"

"I won't mention it," said Sally, irritated. "Now please leave me alone!"

"Yes, yes of course," said Umbridge. "Thank…thank you, Ms. Perks!" and she disappeared quickly.

Draco didn't say a word to her until they were back at the Manor. For some reason they were able to apparate straight into his bedroom.

"What happened?" he said, finally. "Where did you go? Your…_father_, is pretty angry with you!"

"I just…I just wanted to pick up my things and pay my bill at the boarding house where I stayed the last few weeks," she replied. "But then I found I couldn't apparate back here for some reason, so I went back home. And then I got arrested!"

"But why didn't you tell anyone where you were going? We could have told you how to get back!"

"It was early and everyone was still asleep," she said. "But how come we could get back so easily now?"

He grinned. "Well, you were with me, weren't you? Any Malfoy can apparate here anywhere, on the grounds or in the house. _You_ could have apparated in front of the gate, however. And if you'd announced who you were, you'd have been let back in right away."

He gave her a stern look. "It was pretty stupid to go back home. There are now warrants out for the arrest of all Muggle-borns who didn't respond to their summons, therefore the ministry is warned the minute they set foot back into their house. Didn't you realize that?"

She gave him a guilty smile. "I wasn't really thinking about it," she responded, truthfully.

He grinned. "Obviously not. But anyway, your, er… _father_, wants to see you."

Sally looked shocked. "What? _Why?_" she asked, with concern in her voice.

"I have no idea. But I would hurry up if I were you, he doesn't seem to be in a particularly good mood."


	28. The Meeting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: This will be my last update for a while, as I am going on vacation. I'll be back in a week and then I'll continue.**

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Draco walked Sally to the room where she was supposed to meet Voldemort. "I'll be in my room," he said, as he left her alone to face the man claiming to be her father.

"Enter," said the now familiar cold voice, in response to her knock.

As she entered the room, Voldemort was addressing someone else who was with him. "Thank you, Yaxley," he said. "You may go now."

The man bowed deep. "My Lord," he said. Then he hastily walked past Sally and left the room. Sally stared at him as he walked past. It was the man who had been at her trial, beside Umbridge!

"Sally," said Voldemort, after he'd left. "I heard you had an… _eventful_ morning."

Sally looked at him. He was a scary looking man, in any case, but right now he looked so positively terrifying, that it made her blood run cold. He was clearly angry.

"I…I guess I did," she stammered.

"So, exactly _why_ did you go back to your mother's home?" he asked her.

She told him the story, where she went and how she could not get back and therefore went back home.

"Would it not have made a lot more sense to just apparate in front of the gate?" he replied, almost hissing.

"I…I guess it would. But then I thought I'd go back home to get a few things and maybe say goodbye to some of my old friends."

He narrowed his eyes. "And you didn't think there was a need for any of us here to know where you were?"

She blushed. In truth, she'd never had to think about that before. Her 'other' father never really cared where she was or when she'd be back. "I…I'm sorry," she said. "I…I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously not," he said, as he stared at her menacingly. "In addition, you are _not_ giving me the proper respect."

She gulped. She'd forgotten about that. "I'm…I'm sorry, my Lord," she replied.

"Good. But from now on, you will address me as 'father' instead," he said.

Sally gulped. Father! She did not feel at all like calling him _father_! This was going to be even harder than the 'my Lord' stuff!

Voldemort was now circling around her. It made her feel very uncomfortable, like she was prey being stalked by its predator.

"Sally," he started again. "What does D.A. stand for?"

"Dumbledore's Army, father," she responded.

"Indeed," he said. "And _who_ was in charge of this… _Army_?"

"Harry Potter was," said Sally.

"_Respect_, Sally! You need to show me _respect_!" His eyes now seemed ablaze.

Sally swallowed. "Harry Potter was in charge of the D.A., _father_," she corrected.

"And were _you_ a member of this… _despicable_… organization?"

Sally paused for a second. Then she said, in a near-whisper, "Yes, father."

He stopped, and looked straight into her eyes. "And I suppose you think _Mudbloods_ are to be treated just like any other witch or wizard?"

This time, she straightened her back and looked him right into his eyes. "Yes. Yes, I _do_ think so, _father_!"

He moved his wand, ever so slightly, and Sally gasped. She felt a sharp pain going from her left shoulder to her right hip, as if she was being hit with a whip. She let out a small scream, and lost her balance briefly.

"_No_, Sally," he said. "Mudbloods are the scum of the earth! Worse, even, than Muggles. Whereas Muggles will try to ridicule, ostracize and persecute us wizards and witches, and would prefer to see us eliminated altogether, fortunately they are too stupid to succeed in their efforts.

Mudbloods, however, are like Muggles with _our_ powers, and are therefore a threat to our society! We _must_ control each and every Mudblood in the world. Muggles and Mudbloods alike need to be taught their inferiority and have to learn their proper place. But it's the_ Mudbloods_ who pose a danger to us and so we _must_ stop them from developing their powers, using any method necessary!"

"What?" said Sally. "No! No, that's not true at all! That's not how we, I mean, _Muggle-borns_, think! They just want to live peacefully within the magic community and contribute to the good of our world!"

Once again she experienced the sharp pain in her back. This time it brought tears to her eyes, and she fell on her knees.

"_Respect_, Sally!" he shouted at her.

"F…father," Sally added, trembling.

She realized with a shock that this 'new' father _was_ able to hurt her, something her 'previous' father always had _wanted_ to do but never could.

Voldemort looked at her sharply. Then he started circling again. "I detect some…_resistance_, Sally," he said. "I can tell that you are not pleased. That you don't actually _want_ to be my daughter?"

Sally didn't respond. Was he able to read her mind? She had read somewhere that some wizards and witches were able to do that.

"I am not exactly pleased with _you_ either, Sally," he said. "But this is not something either you or me can change. I _am_ your father, and you _are_ my daughter. And we will have to deal with that. But since _I _am in charge, we will do this _my_ way. Understood?"

Sally felt a lump in her throat. "Y…yes, father," she whispered softly.

"Good," said Voldemort. "Then I think that it is now time for me to set up some ground rules for you." He stood still for a moment, and scrutinized her.

"Now," he continued. "It is not _all_ bad. I am not unhappy with your choice of mate. Spineless as Draco may be, he is a decent young man from a respectable family. He understands the value and place of the people in this world, _obviously_ much better than _you_ do! It would do you good to pay attention to him; he should be able to teach you all you need to know there." He paused.

Sally waited a moment, before she chose to respond. "Spineless, father?" she said, inquiringly.

"Yes, spineless!" said Voldemort. "Spineless since he seems unable to kill! But never mind that, he does have some other qualities. At the very least he will be good for _you_."

Sally fell silent again. They seemed to have a very different opinion of the word 'spineless'. What Voldemort called 'spineless', _she_ actually considered to be one of Draco's _better_ qualities.

He looked at her again, before he resumed his circling. "For now," he said, "The fact that you are my daughter, will be known only to those who _need_ to know. That is to say, you, me, and my Death Eaters. You are forbidden to tell anyone else, until such time that I am satisfied with your progress and behavior, and are worthy of that title. Is that clear?"

She stared up at him in surprise. "But…but then, how can I go to Hogwarts? I would still be a Muggle-born, wouldn't I?" she said. "Father," she added hastily.

"You may tell people that it appears that there _is_ some magic in your family after all," he said. "That is all. There will be no need to elaborate."

She looked at him briefly before diverting her eyes downward. "Yes, father," she replied.

"While you are staying here, you will make sure that at least one person in this house knows where you are if you chose to be away from it."

"Yes, father."

"While you are at Hogwarts, you will make sure that either Draco or Professor Snape knows where you are if you're not on the Hogwarts grounds."

"Yes, father."

"Professor Snape will be in charge of you at Hogwarts. You will do as he tells you. Should you disobey him, he will be allowed to punish you, in any way he sees fit."

"Yes, father."

"Furthermore," Voldemort said, "You will not associate with Mudbloods. You will not associate with Blood-traitors. You will not be involved with anything that has anything to do with either Harry Potter, _or_ Dumbledore. Understood?"

Sally did not say anything. How could she possibly agree to _that_? This was _so_ against everything she believed in!

"_Understood, Sally?_" he repeated.

"But…but father," she said. "Wouldn't that seem odd? Wouldn't people become suspicious if I suddenly started acting like that? After all, I was a…a Muggle-born myself – practically - , for most of my time at Hogwarts!"

He seemed to consider her argument for a minute. "Alright," he relented. "_Some_ contact will be allowed. But you will keep this to a minimum."

"Yes, father," she replied.

"Now," he continued. "Professor Snape has informed me that, even though you had a poor start, you have actually managed to pull through and seem to be on the road to becoming a reasonably qualified witch."

He smiled sarcastically. "'Reasonably qualified' is _not_ going to be sufficient, Sally! Since you are my daughter, I will expect nothing but the best! So I am expecting a significant improvement in your schoolwork."

Sally looked up again. 'Reasonably qualified'? Her grades had improved so much, that she was practically the best in her year, aside from Hermione!

"Hermione Granger is a Mudblood!" he shouted at her. "_You_ are Lord Voldemort's daughter! Your skills should surpass hers on every count!"

She gasped. He really _was_ reading her mind!

"Yes, I _am_ reading your mind, Sally. It's called _Legilimency_," he said. "Something _you_ should be learning too. _And_ you should learn to protect yourself from it. You're like an open book, _anyone_ can read you!"

He stared at her, and she stared back in awe. She didn't even dare think _anything_ anymore. "Y…yes, father," she said finally. "I will work harder."

"Good," he said. "Then let's now talk about your trial this morning."

"Doesn't Umbridge know now that I am your daughter, father?" said Sally.

He grinned. "Not anymore. Yaxley should have modified her memory by now, she won't even remember you were at the ministry this morning."

"Oh," said Sally.

"But," he continued. "While we're on the subject of Dolores Umbridge…"

He smiled at her, in a wicked sort of way. Sally felt her tongue stiffening in her mouth. Instinctively, her hand went towards her throat. She was no longer able to talk! She quickly realized that he was performing the same bit of wandless magic on _her_, as _she_ had on Umbridge. So she closed her eyes, and concentrated. Her tongue relaxed, and she smiled triumphantly.

"I beat it!" she exclaimed.

Voldemort smiled a little more friendly now. "So you did. Very well," he said. "Impressive, somewhat. You're actually able to perform a bit of wandless magic, even though _this_ particular spell isn't exactly the most useful."

Then his friendlier smile disappeared, and he looked at her intently.

Sally choked. Her airways had closed. She clutched at her neck. She tried to breathe, but she couldn't. She struggled, and fell to the ground. She was suffocating! Lights started popping in front of her eyes, then everything started going dark, and she felt herself sinking away into nothingness…

Until suddenly, she could breathe again! She gasped. The world came slowly back into focus, as she lay on the floor, panting and struggling to return her breathing back to normal.

Voldemort took a step forward and looked down on her, standing directly above her. "Now _that_ one," he grinned, "is a little more useful!"

He held out his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up off the floor. "You will learn," he started again, once she was back on her feet, "that it will be extremely hard, if not impossible, for you to keep _anything_ from me."

He looked stern, and started reciting, once again circling her as he did so. "'I cannot help who my parents are. But we have to deal with whatever we get, and it's _how_ we use our talents, that matters, much more than _who_ we get it from.' Does that sound familiar, Sally?"

He stopped circling. She stared at him. It was _exactly_ what she had told Umbridge during her trial!

"I find that somewhat _offensive_, Sally," he said. "It doesn't exactly show _respect_ for me, does it?"

She didn't say anything, but lowered her head and stared at the floor.

He lifted his wand, and she heard him say, "Crucio!"

Then she felt the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Every part of her body appeared to be hurting. Her nerves seemed to be on fire. It was intolerable! Her mind became blank of anything except for the pain, and she was sure she would die. In fact, she wanted to die. Anything, _anything_ was better than this! She screamed…and screamed.

And then it was over.

The whole thing had probably lasted no more than a few seconds, but it was enough. She was gasping and shaking as she lay on the floor. She couldn't _believe_ the pain she had just felt!

"Get up!" he shouted at her.

Trembling, she slowly got to her feet.

"You only had a little taste, just so you know what it feels like. But let that be a warning to you, I demand respect, from _everyone_, including you! Do you understand that, Sally?"

Sally nodded, unable to speak. She still felt the after pain of the spell, and was clutching her body with her arms. She was shivering. Voldemort was looking at her, and as she glanced up at him, she almost thought she saw a glimpse of pity in his eyes. Could that be possible? Did he actually feel _sorry_ for her? But then as she glanced up again, it was gone, and she thought she must have imagined it.

He gave her a few moments to recover. As she was standing there, she now understood why that spell was illegal. It was horrible! The most horrible thing you could _ever_ do to anybody! And then she realized with a shock that _she_ had performed this same spell on someone too! She shook her head. How could she possibly have done that? It was awful! _Inhuman_, and she regretted ever using it, even if it _was_ on this horrible guy, this _Jack_. And then Voldemort had killed him right afterwards!

"Why did you kill this man, this Jack?" she said, suddenly.

Voldemort looked up, surprised.

"F…father," she added quickly.

"Why?" he said, incredulously. "Did he not touch you without your permission? Did he not try to rape you? Would he not have done so if Draco had not claimed you?"

"Well, _yes_," said Sally. "But does that mean that he has to die?"

"Of course," replied Voldemort.

"But you did the same thing!" she said. "To my mom!"

He laughed out loud now. "Not exactly the same thing, Sally," he said. "Not at all!"

He looked at her face. She looked furious.

"For a start," he said, "Your mother was a Muggle. Whereas you…"

He looked at her again. Her expression had not changed.

"But I guess you don't care much about _that_, do you?"

"No," she replied.

He stared at her with a strict look on his face.

"_Father_," she added, as she gritted her teeth.

"I see you're finally starting to learn some respect," he said pleasantly. "Good. As for your mother, she had the time of her life! In fact, after I was done with her, she practically _begged_ me to come back again some time."

Sally snorted derisively.

"You don't believe me?" he asked, frowning.

"No," she said, "_father_."

"Would you like to see the memory?"

Her eyes opened wide in shock. The memory! No way! The thought alone was repulsive! She did _not_ need to see that!

"No thanks, father," she replied. "I _really_ would rather not!"

"But then how am I going to convince you," he said. He narrowed his eyes and a sordid smile spread over his face. "Would you like to know _why_, she had the time of her life?"

Sally looked puzzled. "Okay. _Why_, father?"

He waved his wand, and uttered an incantation. At first, she was confused. He had cast a spell, but nothing appeared to be happening. But then she felt it. A light tickling sensation that appeared to be creeping upwards over the inside of her legs. It felt strange, and it moved higher and higher upwards, until it could go no further. It was a strange feeling. Strange, but somewhat enjoyable.

Yes, if was definitely a pleasant sensation. And it was getting stronger. She looked at Voldemort in shock. He just stood there, arms folded, with a ruthless smile on his face.

'Oh my goodness,' she thought suddenly, as she realized what was happening to her. He actually had a _spell_ for that? She gasped. The feeling was getting stronger still, and she was starting to feel dizzy.

"Stop! _Stop it!_" she stammered, as she fell on the floor for the third time that afternoon.

But he didn't do anything. She rolled on the floor, clutching her knees, trying to push her face between them in an attempt to hide. Her breathing came faster and shallower. And all the time the feeling was getting stronger and stronger, until finally she seemed to explode.

She let out an involuntary gasp, and moaned softly. She tried her best not to make any noise at all, but it was hard, if not impossible. Then she finally started to relax as the feeling slowly ebbed away, and her breathing returned to normal. She now lay perfectly still, although still curled up in a ball.

Voldemort took a step forward and bent over her. "Now," he said, quietly, almost in a whisper. "If you behave yourself, do as I tell you, and take care of all the things we discussed this afternoon, then maybe I will teach Draco this spell." He laughed softly and straightened up.

"I think we're done for today," he said, louder now. "Unless you have anything else you wish to discuss?"

She shook her head.

"Then I shall see you later, Sally," he said, and he stepped right over her as he made his way to the door.

But just as he got there, he turned around once more. "Oh, and by the way," he said. "The answer to your other question. Of course you will _not_ be allowed to live at your mother's house, surrounded by Muggles. Imagine the thought! No, you will live _here_, from now on."

And with that, he left, leaving Sally lying on the floor, shocked, embarrassed, and humiliated. She thought she would stay there forever, but eventually, she _did_ get up, and dragged herself back to Draco's room. She was hoping he wouldn't be there right now, as she didn't feel like facing him. Or anyone else for that matter! She was humiliated beyond belief.

She decided that having Voldemort as father was probably the worst thing that could happen to a person. If she hadn't been absolutely sure he was evil before, she certainly was now!

----------

Unfortunately, she appeared to be out of luck. Draco was in his room. She didn't say a word, walked right past him and lay down on the bed.

"What's up with you?" he said. Then he grinned softly. "Did you have a good meeting?"

"It was horrible!" She exclaimed softly, her voice broken. "I've never been so humiliated in my life! And I _don't_ want to talk about it!" she choked, as tears started to fill her eyes.

He sat down on the bed next to her. "It's pretty normal to feel like that after a meeting with the Dark Lord. You'll get used to it," he said, as he started stroking her arm.

She shook him off. "Don't touch me!" she cried out.

He stopped touching her. "Oohh," he said. "_That_ bad, huh?"

He just sat there, looking at her for a moment. Then he said, "Did he, er… did he torture you at all?"

She nodded.

"Cruciatus?"

She nodded again.

He whistled softly. "Wow," he said. "I guess you're not getting any preferential treatment, seeing as you're his daughter, then?"

She turned to face him. Her tears were falling hard and fast now. "Oh, I'm sure I _am_ getting preferential treatment," she said, desperately. "Just not the kind that anybody would ever want!"


	29. Back to Hogwarts

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks again for your review! :)**

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The next day, Sally and Draco set off for their journey to Hogwarts. The adults had decided they were old enough to go by themselves, so they were unaccompanied. Besides, since they were able to apparate now, the trip to the train station was to be extremely short. They apparated directly onto platform 9 ¾.

They were arguing. "I still don't see why you have to punish _me_ for _him_ treating you bad!" said Draco.

"I already told you," Sally said. "He's not just treating me _bad_, he's _evil_! To everyone! And you're supporting that! You're fine with it! You actually _want_ him to control the world, when you _know_ how evil he is!"

"How does that have _anything_ to do with our sex life?"

"It has _everything_ to do with that!"

"_How!_" he exclaimed, failing to see the connection.

She sighed. How could she _possibly_ explain this to him? That she didn't want to have a relationship with someone who supported ideas that she found absolutely repulsive? But she was saved by the appearance of Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey Malfoy," Crabbe said, and then with a frown on his face added, "and…_Perks_???"

"Did you two just arrive here together?" said Goyle, perplexed.

Draco smiled sarcastically. "Yes, we did," he said. And then added, while turning to face Sally, "Apparently, she is now living at my house."

"Why," said Crabbe. "Is she a servant or something?"

Draco and Sally looked at each other. Neither of them was smiling. "Not exactly," said Draco.

"Not at all!" said Sally. "I'm a guest there."

The two boys looked shocked. "And…and your father is okay with her being around?" asked Goyle.

"Yes. And so is _your_ father! Ask him, he knows all about it, he's at our house often enough," replied Draco. "And yours too," he said as he turned to Crabbe.

"But she's a…you know, a…a Muggle-born!" said Crabbe.

Draco scoffed. "A _Mudblood_, you mean? Well, apparently, now she's not! Never has been, actually. I guess she's just been tricking us all that time."

Sally gave him an angry look. "Whatever, I'm off," she said. "I'm sitting with my friends. See you!" And she walked off to get onto the train, levitating her trunk ahead of her.

She found the compartment with her Ravenclaw friends quick enough. They were astounded to see her.

"_Sally_?" said Mandy. "What are _you_ doing here?"

She grinned at them. "Same as you, going back to school!" she replied.

"But how?" said the girl, frowning. "I thought Muggle-borns were no longer allowed in! There are no other Muggle-borns here today!"

"I know," she said. "But apparently, I'm not a Muggle-born after all. I _do_ have some magic in my family."

"You _do_?" she said, surprised. "Then _who_?"

Sally didn't reply.

"Not that horrible, mean and violent father you told us about?"

Sally couldn't stop herself from laughing at that. "Yeah, yeah, that's the one!" she replied cheekily. But then her face darkened. He'd better not find out what she had just said there! She shuddered to think of what he would do if he were _ever_ to find out.

"I'm kidding!" she added quickly. "Obviously not him. But _someone_. Someone who doesn't want anyone to know, though."

Some of the girls in her compartment gave her a meaningful look. Sally was sure they thought she must have somehow hoodwinked the ministry into thinking she had some magic in her family, when in fact she didn't. But she saw no reason to set them straight. It was probably best that they weren't any the wiser about it, so she left it at that. They were all chatting about their summer, and Sally happily joined in, although she left out the events of the past few days.

Eventually one of the Ravenclaw prefects came to talk to them, and explained that for some strange reason, no Head Girl had been assigned this year. Draco Malfoy had been appointed Head Boy, which everyone in the compartment found appalling considering the role he had played last year in Dumbledore's death. But then, _Snape_, who had actually _killed_ Dumbledore, had become headmaster, which was even _more_ surprising after all. Sally wisely refrained from giving her opinion on these matters.

----------

Once they got to Hogwarts, Professor Snape was waiting for them in the entrance hall. As soon as he spotted Sally, he called her aside.

"Ms. Perks," he said. "You will be pleased to know that you have earned the title of Head Girl this year."

Sally's face lit up. She was Head Girl! That was fantastic! All her hard work had finally paid off!

"I _am_?" she replied happily. "Great! Do you have my badge, then?"

"Not yet," replied Snape. "You will receive your badge _after_ you have been sorted."

Sally frowned. Sorted? She had already been sorted, years ago! What was he talking about?

Snape stared at her. "Yes, Ms. Perks, you _will_ be sorted again today. It is your father's belief that you were incorrectly sorted six years ago, due to your then assumed, but incorrect Blood Status."

Sally was astonished. He couldn't be serious! He wanted her re-sorted? She supposed he wanted her to be in Slytherin House. But there was never any question of that, the first time around! The sorting hat hadn't even _considered_ Slytherin! And she did not _want_ to be in Slytherin! She wanted to stay in Ravenclaw!

"I don't want to be sorted again. I'm fine where I am now," she insisted.

A small smile appeared on Snape's lips. "I am afraid that is not for you to decide, Ms. Perks. You _will_ be re-sorted today."

Sally stared at him with agitation. Once again she had no choice, and had to do as she was told.

"Furthermore," continued Snape. "It is also your father's wish that you will receive private lessons with _me_ this year."

"What?" said Sally, even more confused now. "_Why_?"

"Your father wants you to learn certain things that are not normally taught at this school," he replied.

"_Like what?_" said Sally.

"I daresay you will find out, soon," said Snape, smiling mysteriously. "You may take your place at the Ravenclaw table for now. Your name will be called for sorting after the first years have been sorted. Thank you, Ms. Perks," he said, with a finality that told her that the conversation was over.

She sighed deeply and walked into the Great Hall to join her friends at the Ravenclaw table, and she earnestly hoped that that wasn't the last time she would be able to join them.

Everyone in the Great Hall stared at Sally as professor McGonagall, surprise ringing clearly in her voice, called out her name at the end of the sorting ceremony. Sally reluctantly got up, walked to the front of the Hall, sat on the stool and sulkily planted the Sorting Hat on her head, folding her arms in front of her in a show of defiance. After a brief moment of silence, the Sorting Hat started talking to her inside her head.

"Sally," she heard the hat say. "Didn't I already sort you? What are you doing here again?"

'Apparently my father thinks I wasn't sorted correctly the first time around,' she thought. 'So he wants you to try again.'

There was another moment of silence.

"He believes you should have been sorted into Slytherin House, since you have the blood of Salazar Slytherin running through your veins?"

Sally shrugged. 'Yeah I guess,' she thought.

"But that's not how the sorting is done!"

Another pause.

"Do you _want_ to be in Slytherin House, Sally?"

'_No!_' she thought. 'No, I do _not_ want to be in Slytherin House!'

"Then I stand by my original verdict. You are, and you will remain, in RAVENCLAW!"

As the last word was shouted out loud, Sally excitedly jumped off the stool and practically _ran_ back to her usual spot at the Ravenclaw table. Her friends were frowning at her.

"What was the purpose of _that_?" said Lisa. "What a complete waste of time! And why did you take so long?"

"I don't know," said Sally happily. "But I know I'm staying in Ravenclaw, and that's really all that matters!"

Her friend gave her a funny look, and shrugged. "Well, _there's_ a big shock, since you've been there for…oh, only three years already! Why would you _not_?"

Sally grinned. It was important to _her_, she thought. She felt she had achieved at last some small victory over her father. He could _not_ make her join Slytherin House now, only the Sorting Hat could do that, and the Hat wouldn't do it. So she happily tucked into her food.

The next day, after classes had ended, she was confronted by Draco. "I broke up with Pansy," he told her.

Sally shrugged. "So?"

"So _what_?" he said, with a menacing look in his eyes. "What's _wrong_ with you, Sally? _What_, exactly, do you _want_ me to do?"

"I don't think there's much you _can_ do."

He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her towards him. "_You_," he said in an alarming tone of voice, "are not making _any_ sense. Last year you were _begging_ for me to spend some time with you. You were willing to put up with my 'ideas', you were okay with being a secret, and you said you'd even put up with taking a backseat to Pansy. You said you were willing to do just about _anything_, just to be with me. Remember? So what happened? I'm willing to give you much more than you asked for, and yet, you refuse _me_ now? Exactly _what_ is your _problem_?"

"You _know_ what my problem is. I _hate_ the things you stand for!"

"That was the case last year too. But it didn't stop you then, did it?"

"Well that was only because… because…" She let her voice trail off. For heaven's sake, what was she doing? "Forget it," she said, and turned away from him.

He roughly pulled her back. "Because _what_, Sally? Because _what_!?"

She shook her head.

He pushed her against the wall. "I need to know. You will stay here and I will wait until you've told me why!"

"You're not going to like it."

"Whatever. I want to know anyway."

She looked at him sharply. "I was spying on you. Dumbledore had asked me to find out what you were up to."

His eyes opened wide. "_**WHAT**_!" he yelled, his face contorted in what looked like a mixture of shock and anger.

She grinned sheepishly. "I told you, you weren't going to like it."

He was enraged. She could see it in his eyes. He looked like he was going to explode. His hands tightened around her arms, and his knuckles were whitening. He was gritting his teeth. She was waiting. Waiting for him to do something. She was sure he'd do _something_ to her, but she didn't care. She actually felt that she deserved whatever he would do to her. She _had_ betrayed him after all!

But then he loosened his grip and let go. He turned, and left, without another word. Sally felt herself sink to the ground, and tears started flowing again. Now, on top of everything else, she had lost the one person that she _really_ cared about…

----------

Several weeks passed, and Sally had settled in nicely. She worked really hard, and was doing very well, achieving nothing but perfect grades for her coursework. But she wasn't just doing coursework. She had her private lessons with Professor Snape too, which, surprisingly enough, she found to be highly enjoyable.

She thought it must just be learning magic in general, that she enjoyed. As long as it had anything to do with magic, she was interested and willing to learn. Snape's lessons were undoubtedly interesting. She was a good student, and he seemed pleased with her. He had taught her Legilimency and Occlumency, and she, as well as her tutor, were surprised at how easily she had picked up on those particular skills.

Snape had told her they'd be working on resisting the Imperius Curse next. Now, they had already done that in her fourth year of course, with Professor Moody. But since she had only just started at Hogwarts then, she hadn't done very well. She was sure she'd do better, now that she was more experienced.

A lot of people were notably absent this year, and some of them were sorely missed. 'Hermione,' Sally thought sadly. She had not come back, of course, and Sally was missing her a lot. Hermione's friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were missing too. Obviously, Harry Potter was missing because he was undesirable #1, and should he turn up at Hogwarts, he'd be arrested immediately and most likely killed shortly after.

She knew that there was no one her father wanted dead as much as Harry Potter. She shivered. She _liked_ Harry. He'd always been very nice to her, and she hoped he'd be able to stay out of his way. She really didn't want to see him killed.

Ron Weasley was said to be ill at home, suffering from Spattergroit, whatever _that_ was. She had a feeling that that may not be true. Maybe he just didn't want to come back since his two best friends weren't going to be there? His sister, Ginny, was here, though. And Neville Longbottom, the boy who liked his plant so much.

Professor Slughorn was now Head of Slytherin House, and continued having parties. Sally was always invited. He seemed to like her a lot, and was thrilled with her work in potions class.

Most of the staff had been curious as to how it was possible for her to still be at Hogwarts. Obviously, Snape wasn't, nor were the two new teachers, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Amycus Carrow, and his sister, Alecto Carrow, who was teaching Muggle Studies. Sally strongly suspected the siblings to be Death Eaters. Sally did not take Muggle Studies, having lived as a Muggle herself, but she _did_ take Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was absolutely ridiculously friendly to _her_, but _horrible_ to a lot of the other students. She actually really disliked him and his sister; she found them to be slimy, mean, and backstabbing.

Professors Slughorn and McGonagall had been the most curious about her new 'Blood Status'. Professor McGonagall had called Sally for a meeting in her room, and had asked her how she had managed to 'disguise' her Muggle-heritage, and if she was aware that it was exceptionally dangerous for her to remain at Hogwarts if she really did _not_ have any witches and wizards in her family. McGonagall clearly suspected she didn't.

Sally had assured McGonagall that she really _did_ have at least one magical person in her family, something she had only discovered this summer, but someone who wished to remain anonymous. She did not seem convinced, and had ensured Sally that she could be trusted if she wished to confide in her. But obviously, Sally could not.

Professor Slughorn, on the other hand, did not doubt Sally's story and had made it a game to guess the identity of the magical person in her family. Sally didn't think he'd ever guess, and since he seemed to be enjoying the game, she happily played along.

Draco completely ignored Sally. He had not lied about his break-up with Pansy, nor had he gone back to her after his conversation with Sally. Instead he seemed to be doing as Sally did, and concentrated on his studies. _He_ seemed to be doing very well too. She wondered if he knew how to do Legilimency, too. She'd ask, if it wasn't for the fact that they weren't talking.

----------

It was a Friday after breakfast, halfway through October, when Draco finally approached her.

"We're going home for the weekend. We're leaving after classes today, so meet me in the entrance hall at 4:00," he said.

Sally looked puzzled. "_What_? Why?"

He shrugged. "I have no idea."

"How are we getting there?"

"Apparition. We'll walk until we get beyond the Hogwarts boundaries."

She wanted to ask more, but he had already left.

----------

That day during Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall came up to Sally. "Ms. Perks," she said. "I wondered if it would be possible for you to see me in my office sometime this weekend? I have something I would like to discuss with you regarding one of your essays, which mentioned transfiguring certain Muggle inventions. I thought you made a very interesting point, which I would like to talk about with you."

Sally looked up at her. "I'm…I'm sorry, Professor, but I won't be here. Could we do that sometime next week?"

McGonagall looked surprised. "You're not going to be here? But where will you be?"

"I'm going home for the weekend."

"Did someone give you clearance for that?"

"Professor Snape did, Professor."

McGonagall gave her a funny look. "Fine. We'll do this some other time then," she said as she left the room.


	30. A Weekend Away

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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That afternoon Sally met up with Draco in the entrance hall, and they left together.

"So, why are we going home?" said Sally to Draco as they were walking along.

"I already said, I don't know," he responded.

"Who told you we had to come back?"

"My father, he sent me an owl this morning."

Sally was quiet for a moment. "Is…is _he_ going to be there, too?" she finally asked, with concern in her voice.

Draco replied with a smirk. "No idea, why, did you do anything he might be upset about?"

"Even if I didn't, I'm sure he'd _find_ something," she replied.

Draco laughed sarcastically. "I know something he'd _definitely_ be angry about."

Sally stopped walking so suddenly, that a small animal, possibly a cat, ran into her. "No!" she said, as she looked at him in shock. "You…you wouldn't tell him _that_, would you?"

"You _know_ I'm supposed to," he smirked.

"Don't! Please!" she said, horrified.

"Will you please keep moving?" he said, as he pulled her arm. "We'll talk about this later. I won't say anything just yet."

They continued walking the last few steps in silence until they reached the boundaries of the Hogwarts grounds, at which point they apparated to Draco's bedroom at the Manor.

"Do you want to come with me, to find out why we're here, or would you rather stay?" he asked her.

"I'd rather stay here."

"Fine," he said, and walked out of the room.

Sally sat on the bed. She was nervous. She couldn't think of anything she would have done wrong, but you'd never know! Maybe it was because the Sorting Hat hadn't put her in Slytherin? But that wasn't _her_ fault, was it? She sighed and lay down. She just had to wait till Draco came back, but she couldn't help being scared, a feeling that seemed amplified by her surroundings. Somehow, being at Malfoy Manor, gave her the feeling that she was in the Lion's Den.

She didn't have to wait long before Draco came back. He smirked at her from the door opening.

She sat up straight as soon as she spotted him, and when he had closed the door behind him, she whispered anxiously, "So…so what is it?"

"He's not here, and it seems unlikely that he _will_ be here this weekend."

"Then what am _I_ doing here?"

"Surprisingly, he actually seems pleased with you, and you're being rewarded."

"_Rewarded?_" said Sally, puzzled. "_How?_"

Draco's smirk became even more pronounced. "You get to spend the weekend with _me_!"

Sally stared at him, her mouth open.

"Stay like that, I know something that will fit there perfectly," he said sarcastically.

She blushed, and quickly closed her mouth. "What did I do to deserve _that_?"

He sat down next to her. "You're thrilled, aren't you?"

"Stop being mean!"

"Mean? _Me?_ Says the one who told me she loved me as we fucked just to try and get me to tell her what I was up to!"

She turned around quickly to face him. "What?"

"You heard me. But hey, since it obviously doesn't mean much to you, how about we stop wasting time and do what we're expected to be doing right now?"

"I didn't tell you I loved you just because I wanted to find out what you were doing!"

"Then why _did_ you?"

"Because I meant it!"

He scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Don't be ridiculous! You know I meant it. You even said so yourself at the time!"

He looked at her. "Yeah, I _thought_ I knew," he shrugged. "And now you're just trying to stop me from telling _him_ about it!"

"I'm not! Well, I _am_. I mean, I really _don't_ want you to tell him, but that's not why!"

"Get to the point, will you?"

"I really _do_ love you! I loved you then and I love you now!"

He sneered. "Yeah? Then prove it!"

She frowned. "How would I prove _that_?"

"_Fuck_ me."

"That doesn't prove _anything_!"

He grinned lasciviously, as he started plucking at her clothes. "Maybe not. But it'll be fun! And if you mean what you're saying you couldn't _possibly_ object too much."

Sally looked at him. In truth, she really _would_ like nothing better. Just sitting next to her he made her body ache with desire! And she would have to resist him all weekend if she were to go through with this. He'd be around her _all_ the time, she'd even have to sleep with him at night. She was bound to give up at _some_ point. So maybe she should just give up _now_ and enjoy the weekend…

"But I still don't agree with your opinions about things, you _know_ that!"

He shrugged. "Well let's just forget about that then. At least for the weekend."

She looked down for a second. Then she looked back up at him. "Just for the weekend?" she said softly.

He grinned at her. "Just for the weekend."

She finally broke out into a smile and threw herself into his arms.

A house-elf brought dinner to his room later on. The same house-elf brought them breakfast the next morning, and lunch later that day. Sometime halfway through the afternoon on Saturday there was a knock on the door, and a female voice called his name.

"That's my mom!" he whispered to Sally, and he hastily put on a bathrobe while Sally hid under the covers.

She realized with a shock that she must think Sally quite rude, spending all this time with her son without ever even introducing herself to her! She crawled a little deeper into the bed. He opened the door just a little.

"Draco, are you going to be spending the whole weekend locked up in your room?"

He chuckled. "Why, wasn't I supposed to?"

"I would like to meet your… _girlfriend_," she said. "Why don't you bring her to the drawing room later for some tea? Let's say, in about half an hour?"

"Alright, fine," he said, and he closed the door again as she was walking away.

He grinned at Sally. "We have half an hour," he said. "What shall we do?"

"How about taking a shower and get dressed?"

"Hmm, boring," he said sulkily.

She gave him an exasperated look as she got up out of the bed, went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

"We could at least have a shower _together_!" he shouted through the closed door.

"No chance," she shouted back. "We'd never make it in time!"

"You _do_ realize I'm a wizard, right? And that locking a door isn't really going to stop me?"

She unlocked the door and stuck her head out. He noticed she had wrapped a towel around herself. "But I would hope you'd have a little more respect for your mother and would not let her wait," she said, smiling.

He walked over to her, pulled the towel off and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her neck. "Go on," he whispered, "just a quickie!"

She giggled, then pushed him away. "Go away, you beast!" she exclaimed. "Leave me alone!" She quickly locked the door behind her again, and got in the shower. Less than half an hour later they were ready to go.

"We have a few minutes left," he said, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes, and opened the door. She could hear him chuckle behind her as she walked out into the hallway.

"Don't you have anything better to wear?" he asked, as they were walking along.

She gave him a guilty smile. "Sorry, a lot of my stuff is still at my old home. I really should pick it up sometime."

Once they got to the drawing room, both his parents were present. Draco introduced them, after which his father called him away to 'discuss a few things', and Sally was left alone with Narcissa Malfoy. They had a forced, but not entirely unpleasant conversation. However, there were several moments of uncomfortable silence, and Sally eagerly got up when Draco finally turned up again and asked her if she was ready.

"It was nice to meet you, Sally," said Narcissa Malfoy formally.

"It was nice to meet you too, Mrs. Malfoy," Sally responded, and they left to go back to Draco's room.

The minute they set foot in his room, Draco started talking to her. "Did you enjoy yourself?" he asked.

"She's very nice," said Sally with a small smile.

He stared into her eyes for a moment. Then he grinned. "You were uncomfortable, you don't have much in common, and you couldn't wait to get out of there when I turned up. And now you just want to take all your clothes off and dance for me!"

She stared at him in awe. "You can do Legilimency?"

"Yes, although that last one was a lucky guess."

She giggled. "I didn't realize you could do that, otherwise I would have closed it up."

He raised his eyebrows. "You know Occlumency?"

"Yes," she said. "Snape taught me. Legilimency too."

"_Snape_ taught you? Why?"

"Special request from, well, You-Know-Who," she said.

He laughed. "You're calling your _father_ 'You-Know-Who' now?"

She shrugged. "I just don't like to think of him as my _father_."

"Isn't there a Muggle around somewhere still that you used to call 'father'?"

"Yes. That's what makes it weird, I guess! I sort of have two fathers now."

"So what was your Muggle father like?"

"He was horrible. Always drunk, always shouting. He would hit my mom if I wasn't around."

"What happened when you _were_ around?"

"He couldn't. I used to put a shield charm around her and me, so he couldn't touch us. Although at the time, I didn't know that _that_ was what I was doing."

He frowned. "You can put a shield charm on without a wand?"

She grinned. "Yeah."

"That's impressive." Then after a short pause, he added, "So I take it you don't actually _like_ your Muggle father?"

She shrugged again. "I don't like him, no, but I certainly prefer him over You-Know-Who! Both seem to want to hurt me, but I'm always able to stop my Muggle father. But I can't stop _him_. And _he_ can hurt me much more than my Muggle father ever would be able to. Plus," her face darkened, "He can do other things."

Draco looked serious now, turned around to face her and grabbed both her arms, staring into her eyes. "Sally… _what_ exactly, did he do to you, when you had that meeting with him?"

"I…I don't really want to… It was… it was…" she sighed and looked down at her feet. "I can't tell you."

"Can you tell me _some_ of it, at least?"

She gave him a wry smile. "He forced me on my knees four times. Three of those I actually made it all the way to the floor. He insists I call him 'father', every sentence, or I'm punished. He used some sort of whip-spell that I'm not familiar with, but it sure hurt! He performed the Cruciatus Curse on me because of something I said to Umbridge at the ministry. And he almost suffocated me."

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "Wow! And that's not all?"

"No. That's not all." She smiled. "You can't get to it, Draco, I closed it up."

"How did you know I was trying to find it?"

"The way you were looking at me, I guess."

"Hmm. So you can read _my_ mind now?"

She laughed out loud. "Draco, I don't need Legilimency for _that_! I _know_ what's on your mind!"

He grinned. "Is it _that_ obvious?"

"It is!" she said, giving him a meaningful look. "You want me to take all my clothes off and dance for you!"

"_Wow_! You are amazing!" he said, laughing. "And funny enough, that's what _you_ wanted too, wasn't it?"

She pulled a face. "I'm not _entirely_ sure if I want to see you dance around naked."

He laughed a little harder. "Fat chance of that! Not on your life, missy!"

She pouted. "What if I say please?"

"You're begging! I _love_ it when you beg! I'll give you something better for that, though."

She giggled as he pulled her down on the bed.


	31. Goodbyes

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The next day after breakfast Sally was sitting on Draco's bed. "I would like to pick up my stuff today," she said suddenly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"My stuff," she said. "You know, from my home."

She smiled as he looked puzzled. "My _old_ home!" she explained.

"Ah," he said, and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I don't see why not?"

"Great," she said, as she got up to take a shower.

A little while later, as they were both showered and dressed, he said, "I'll come with you."

She frowned. "It's Muggle-territory."

"I know. I'll just drop you off. Then I'll know where it is and I can come pick you up later. That way you don't have to go via the gate to come back."

"How thoughtful," she said with a smirk. "So un-Slytherinnish!"

He grinned. "See what you do to me! You're corrupting me!"

She kissed him on the cheek. "Alright, let's go then."

She held on to him as she turned on the spot and apparated them to her old home.

"This is it?" he said, as he looked around the tiny little bedroom that used to be hers.

"Yeah, don't you like it?"

"It's _great_," he said sarcastically. "When do you want me to pick you back up? 10 minutes?"

She smiled. "Give me two hours."

"_Two hours_! How _long_ does it take you to pack?"

"I want to see if I can find some of my old friends. Just to say hi."

He stared at her. "You want to say hi to a couple of _Muggles_?"

She frowned. "I don't expect you to understand. I just want to."

He paused for a bit. "Alright, fine," he said, finally. "Just make sure you're back in time. I don't want to have to go looking for you in Muggle-land."

She smiled, as he gave her a quick kiss and left.

She dug out her old trunk (the one Draco had bought for her) and threw all her belongings in it. Since she was using her wand, she was done in no more than five minutes. Then she started looking around the house. She wondered if her dad was in, she hadn't seen him in months. Not that she cared _that_ much, but she was curious.

But he wasn't in, which she thought was surprising for a Sunday morning. At that time he would usually be in bed, sleeping off a hangover.

So she left the house. It was fairly quiet, until she suddenly heard a door open and a scream.

"Sally! Sally!" she heard her neighbor, an elderly lady who lived next door, cry out.

Sally turned and walked towards her. "Hello Mrs. Brocks," she said. "How are you?"

"Sally, you're back! You're finally back!" she said. "We thought… well we didn't know _what_ to think! We knew you were on that trip of yours, of course, but we thought you'd keep in touch somehow. And then, when that terrible thing happened! We were sure you'd come back. But you didn't! And nobody seemed to know where you were, and then we started thinking that something might have happened to you too, and we didn't know what to do with the house and the bills and stuff!"

Sally looked confused. "Mrs. Brocks?" she said, as a horrible feeling started bubbling up inside her. "What are you talking about?"

"Your _father_, Sally, the death of your father!"

Now Sally's eyes opened wide in shock. "My… my father is…d…dead?" she stuttered.

Mrs. Brocks looked at her for a moment, with pity in her eyes. "Oh, Sally. Dear, dear Sally! I'm so sorry, you didn't know?"

Sally shook her head, as tears started prickling behind her eyelids. "Come in sweetheart," said Mrs. Brocks. "Let me make you a cup of tea."

Sally went inside and sat on the couch in the living room. While Mrs. Brocks was bustling away in the kitchen, making tea, Sally started sniffling a little. So he was dead! She guessed she couldn't be too surprised. With all the alcohol he consumed, it had been inevitable. Still, she hadn't expected it just yet.

"It must have been the alcohol, right?" Sally said, staring ahead of her, when Mrs. Brocks reappeared with two steaming mugs of tea.

Mrs. Brocks didn't say anything at first, but put down the mugs and sat down in a chair in front of Sally. She shook her head. "That's what we all thought at first, but it was not. There was an autopsy. And it was definitely not the alcohol that killed him."

"Then what was it?" Sally said, surprised now.

Mrs. Brocks shrugged. "Nobody seems to know."

Sally gasped. "_Nobody seems to know?_ But I thought you said there had been an autopsy!"

"Yes, but the autopsy was inconclusive. No cause of death could be found."

"_No cause of death could be found?_" Sally repeated in a shaky voice, as she felt a chill running down her spine.

"No. It was the strangest thing! He just seemed to have died one night. Just like that!"

"Do you… do you know _when_ it happened?"

"Well, we can't be 100% certain of course, it was a few days before we found him. But according to the autopsy, it was most likely on August 31st, probably late at night. Or maybe early the next morning."

Sally swallowed hard as she slowly felt her whole body start to shake. Shake with anger. That was the day _after_ she had found out who her _real_ father was! He had killed him. He had killed her Muggle father! She was sure of it.

"Oh, you poor, poor girl!" said Mrs. Brocks, as she quickly got up and sat next to Sally, embracing her. She had obviously mistaken Sally's anger for grief. "Such a horrible, horrible thing! And you didn't even get to go to the funeral!"

Anything Mrs. Brocks said to Sally after that, was lost on her. She didn't hear a thing anymore. She just wanted to get back to her room. She needed to think. She needed to sit down and think.

So as soon as she could, she made her excuses and left. She went back to the house she had called home for 17 years, and sat in her bedroom, as her tears now flowed easily. He was _dead_. He had killed him! But why? What had he done? What would have been his reason for killing the man she had called father for 17 years?

She _had_ to know, she just _had_ to find out, somehow. She looked around her room and started wandering around the house. She would never come back, obviously. The house would technically be hers now, but she knew her father to have a lot of debt. So the house would have to be sold to pay all that off, and she doubted there would be anything left at all after that. So that was it, this would no longer be her home. Ever again! All ties with her old Muggle-life would be gone.

She stifled another sob. It had been a comforting feeling to think she always had her home to go back to if she needed to. But now, that would no longer be the case. She cried again.

She cried for everything: her dead 'father', her mother, the loss of her old life, her old home, her _real_ father, who she absolutely hated, the things he did to her, the state the world was in, the atrocities that were happening everywhere… _everything_.

And of course, most of all this was actually _caused_ by her real father. She shook her head. And what was _she_ doing? She was fooling around with a guy who thought all this was acceptable. Normal, even.

She was living in the house where the most _horrible_ things were planned and initiated! Was she out of her mind? Like a puppet, she was doing whatever this _murderer_ told her to do! And why?

Because she was afraid. It was no use denying it, she was afraid of her father, just like everyone else in the world was afraid of him.

Except for maybe, Harry Potter? Was _he_ afraid of him? _He_ had defeated him after all. Several times, in fact! So it _was_ possible! Would it be possible for _her_? Should she fight him? _Could_ she fight him? Maybe she shouldn't go back. Maybe she should hide. But then what? Where would she go? And what would she do? Would they find her? They hadn't found Harry Potter yet. But he had people to help him and places to hide. And he had money too!

She had none of that. Nothing. She had nothing! Not even _any_ other family! Not even a drunk and violent Muggle-father! She had absolutely _nothing_ left! As she sat on her bed, she pulled up her knees, curled her arms around them, lay her head on top and cried, cried, cried.

And that is how Draco found her when he got back.

He stared at her in surprise. "Wow," he said, sarcastically. "Looks like you had a _great_ time in Muggle-land. What happened?"

"He's… he's dead!" she sobbed.

"_Who's_ dead?"

"My… my father!"

He frowned at her. "No, he isn't. I just saw him! He came back to the house and was asking about you, in fact. I assure you, he's very much alive!"

"Not him!" she exclaimed.

He raised his eyebrows. "What, you mean your Muggle-father?"

She nodded.

"Oh," he said. "But er… I thought you didn't actually _like_ him?"

She stared at him. Clearly, he didn't understand. "That's not the point."

"Well, it just seems to me that that's an awful lot of tears over someone you never really liked!"

"I called him 'father' for 17 years. I lived in the same house as him all that time. And now… now he's _dead_! Killed! He _killed_ him!"

"_Who_ killed him?"

"Who do you think?"

He frowned again. "Are you _sure_?"

"Pretty much."

"But why would he do _that_?"

"I have no idea."

He stared at her for a little while, as she sat on the bed, sobbing. "We should get back. Do you have all your stuff?"

She nodded at her trunk.

"Great, let's go then."

She stood up, reluctantly, as he grabbed her trunk. They apparated back to his bedroom, and she sat down on the bed, hugging herself. He went to sit down next to her and put an arm around her. She shook it off and moved away from him.

He rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. Is it _my_ fault again?"

She looked at him. "No. No it isn't. But you're not helping!"

"Alright. Then how can I help?"

"Where is he?"

He stared at her. "You're not actually thinking of going to see him about this, are you?"

"Of course I am!"

"He's talking to a few people right now. If you absolutely _insist_, I'll tell a house elf to let him know you want to talk to him afterwards."

"No! Show me where he is. I want to talk to him _now_!"

He looked at her as if she'd gone mad. "You're out of your mind!"

She shrugged. "I don't care. Show me where he is!"

"No."

"_Draco_!"

"_Sally_!"

She stared at him. "Never mind," she said, and got up and left.

He ran after her. "Did you just use _Legilimency_ on me?" he shouted after her.

"Yes, I did."

He pulled her by her arm and pulled her towards him. "Don't! You'll regret it! Why don't you wait and calm down a bit first?"

"I'm not going to. Let me _go_, Draco!"

"No!"

She stared at him with a funny look on her face. Next, he felt as if her arm was burning, and he had to let go.

"Ow!" he yelled. "What did you just do?"

She ignored him, and continued walking until she got to a door. This is it, she thought, as she opened it. Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange and two other people were inside. Everyone turned to look at her as she stormed in. She took a deep breath.

"I need to talk to you, _father_," she said, as she looked at Voldemort.

He stared at her for a second, then he folded his arms, and a smirk appeared on his face. "_Sally_," he said. "How _nice_ to see you!"

He turned around to the others. "Well, you heard her. My _daughter_ needs to see me. Leave!"

They stared at him in shock.

"But…" began Bellatrix.

"Leave," he repeated.

They all bustled out of the door, giving her funny looks as they left. When the last person closed the door behind him, Voldemort turned back towards Sally, and waited expectantly.

"Did you kill him?" Sally asked immediately.

He raised his eyebrows. "I've killed a few people lately. Who are you talking about, exactly?"

"My father!"

He laughed at her. "That's _me_, Sally. And _I_ am still very much alive."

"You know who I mean!"

"That Muggle you _used_ to call 'father'?"

"Yes!"

He smirked again. "Yes, I did."

She stared at him for a moment. "Why?" she finally asked, whispering, as she felt tears pricking behind her eyelids again.

He shrugged. "I thought it would be less confusing for you."

She blinked a few times. "_What?_ That's… that's it? Because it would be less _confusing_?"

"Yes," he said, with a sadistic grin. "That's it."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You…you can't be serious!"

"I assure you, I _am_. But… I believed I had taught you some manners, last time we spoke?"

She continued staring at him in horror, as her tears now started falling.

He sighed. "Why does it even matter to you? It's not as if you actually _cared_ about him, did you?"

"What would _you_ know about that, _father_?" she responded snidely.

"We had a little… exchange of thoughts, before I killed him," he said with a malicious grin. "Didn't he try to hurt you, on several occasions?"

"So? He never actually _did_!"

"Only because you were able to do a wand-less shield charm," he responded. "He _would_ have done otherwise!"

She bravely took a small step forward. "_You_ hurt me too, _father_!" she said accusingly.

He laughed. "Yes, but I _am_ your father, and as such I have the right to discipline you."

"And _he_ thought he was my father too!"

"Yes, but he wasn't, now, was he? Anyway, that's enough about that Muggle-fool. He's gone, and I don't want to hear another word about him anymore."

Sally looked at him with a mixture of anger, disgust and grief.

"And, while I got you here. What happened with your sorting? You should have been sorted into Slytherin House. You're a descendent of Salazar Slytherin himself!"

She nodded grumpily. "Yes, that's what the Sorting Hat said, too, _father_," she said as she gritted her teeth, resentful about the forced change of subject.

He frowned. "Then why did it not put you there?"

"It said it didn't sort by blood."

"Then what _does_ it sort by?"

"I don't know. It didn't say."

He gave her an angry look. "Hmm. That makes no sense. No sense at all."

He looked away as if he was pondering something. Then he turned back to her and took a step forward, so they were only inches apart. He stroked her cheek with his fingers, which made her shiver.

"On the other hand, Sally, my pretty, pretty daughter," he grinned at her. "You've been a good girl! I have had reports from Professor Snape saying that you are doing very well. Very well indeed!"

Sally did not respond. Even a compliment from him sounded like a threat.

"You've been working hard, have you not? And I can tell, as you've closed up. I can't read you anymore." He laughed softly. "You are trying hard to impress me, Sally. That is good. I like that!" He paused for a moment. Then he gave her an impudent smile. "Did you like my reward? I have been told you did."

She blushed as she cast her eyes down to the floor.

He grinned smugly. "It's okay, Sally. It's okay. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. You deserve it." Then, after another moment's pause, "Keep it up, Sally, and your rewards will be even greater. You will find that keeping _me_ happy is in everybody's best interest. Yours, and mine. Understood?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Yes, father," she said, swallowing hard.

He took her face in his hand. "So… beautiful," he said, studying her face with his blood-red eyes. "I'm _almost_ proud to call you my daughter!"

Then, with another grim smile, he dismissed her. "Now, I shall have to get back to work. Do go and enjoy yourself, you have a little time left before you have to go back to school. And please tell my Death Eaters to come back in."

With that, he turned his back on her, and Sally left, feeling completely dissatisfied with the way the conversation had progressed.

"He wants you to go back in," she grumbled to the people waiting outside the door, who immediately trooped back in, giving her a suspicious look as they passed her.

Draco was leaning against the wall, waiting for her. "Wow," he said. "You're still in one piece!"

She gave him an exasperated look and walked back towards his room. He followed.

"How did it go?"

"He did it. He killed him."

"Did he say why?"

"Yes." She gave a small, sarcastic laugh, "So it wouldn't be too confusing for me!"

He stopped for a second. Then he rushed to catch back up, as she had continued walking. "Are you…are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not. That was his reasoning."

He shook his head. "Seems a little… _harsh_."

"You don't say!"

They had reached his bedroom. She opened the door and threw herself on the bed, hiding her head under one of the pillows.

"Are you okay?"

"No."

"Did he hurt you at all?"

"Not physically, no."

He lay down on his back next to her, his hands under his head. After a few moments he spoke again. "I don't suppose there's any chance of… you know?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"It's a little early to go to sleep."

She shrugged. Then she looked up from underneath the pillow. "You can go if you want. Just leave me here."

"Alright. I'll be back in a little while."

And he left, leaving her alone to deal with the grief of losing her old life forever.


	32. The Fight

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The next morning Draco and Sally were back at school. Sally was still very upset, and had refused to sleep with Draco the night before. She had insisted on sleeping on the floor, where she had spent the night. And now that they were back, she had to remind him it had only been for the weekend, and that she had no intention of continuing their relationship afterwards.

They had left early in the morning and went back to their respective houses, and were no longer talking when they saw each other again at breakfast. Draco was, understandably, mad at her, but she didn't care. She couldn't be with him. She couldn't condone all those bad things that were happening, and as far as she was concerned, he was definitely a part of it. So in the end, everything seemed to have reverted back to the way it was before the weekend, with the exception that Sally now felt even _more_ alone than ever before.

A few weeks later Sally was in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, taught by Amycus Carrow. The Ravenclaw seventh years took this class with the Gryffindors. Amycus Carrow announced with a grin that day that he was going to teach the class the Cruciatus Curse. '_Teach_ the Cruciatus Curse?' Sally thought, with a frown. He proceeded to explain the workings of the spell; the incantation and the thoughts behind it. Sally caught sight of a frightened boy, who she thought must be about 4th year, standing in a corner of the room.

"Longbottom," called Amycus Carrow. "Come forward, please."

Neville Longbottom walked to the front of the room, as Carrow grabbed the younger boy and dragged him to the middle of an open space at the front of the class room.

"This boy, Jackson, has earned himself a punishment earlier today," Carrow grinned. "And you are going to provide his punishment for him, Longbottom."

Neville's eyes opened wide. "H…how," he stammered.

"The Cruciatus Curse," Carrow said, with an evil grin.

A gasp went through the class room. Neville looked like he was going to vomit. "No," he replied, simply.

"You will perform the Cruciatus Curse on Jackson, _now_," said Carrow again.

"No, I won't!" said Neville.

Carrow lifted his wand, muttered an incantation, and a deep gash appeared in Neville's face. Neville fell on his knees, clutching his face, blood spluttering all over his robes.

"You _will_. You will do this _now_, or we'll be practicing on _you_, Longbottom!" Carrow said.

Sally was shocked beyond believe. He couldn't be serious!

"I won't do it," said Neville, now covered in blood.

"Then prepare to feel pain," said Carrow grinning, lifting his wand.

The next moment, Carrow had flown halfway across the room and slammed with his back against the wall. Sally was standing up, her wand stretched out towards him, a look of outrage on her face. Everybody stared at her. Carrow slowly crawled back up, visibly livid, clutching his wand tightly.

"_Who_," he spat, "did that!"

"_I_ did," Sally admitted confidently.

Carrow looked at her. "You," he said, while attempting to force his expression of anger into one of friendly concern. "Silly girl." Shaking, he desperately tried to control his anger. "Why did you do that?"

Neville had gotten up off the floor. "You cannot do the Cruciatus Curse on students," he said. "It's against the law!"

"Not anymore!" hissed Carrow, as he turned his anger back towards Neville instead.

He was about to perform another curse on Neville, as Sally hit him once again with another curse, making him fall with his face flat on the floor. Sally had moved to the front of the class and was now standing next to Neville, facing Carrow, her back towards the door. Carrow got back up, and was _really_ struggling to control his temper now.

"Ms. Perks," he hissed. "You better stop that, right now!"

"Then you better stop what you're doing!" shouted Sally. "You cannot do the Cruciatus Curse in this class room!"

Carrow lifted his wand towards _her_ now, with the intention of disarming her. But before he could speak the incantation, he had received a gash on his face to match the one that Neville had. The class gasped, and Neville held his breath. Everyone now fully expected Carrow to retaliate, as it would have been highly suspicious if he didn't. Furious, he looked up, blood spurting through the hand with which he was clutching his wound. He raised his wand again, but Sally was ready, beating him back to the ground before he could do anything.

He tried to hit her as he was lying on the ground, but Sally hit him with another spell, that made him feel like he had just been hit in the stomach with a football. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

Nobody saw the woman enter the room behind Sally and Neville. It was Alecto Carrow, Amycus Carrow's sister. She did not recognize Sally, all she saw was her brother being attacked.

"Crucio!" the class heard her speak, and then Sally was on the floor, screaming.

"There!" shouted Alecto. "That'll teach you brats to attack a teacher!"

She held on strong to the spell, seemingly enjoying the shouts of pain and anguish coming from Sally. She was laughing, while her brother's face was distorted with terror as he saw his sister torturing Sally. But Sally's spell had him winded and he was unable to speak.

The class looked on in astonishment and fear for Sally's well being.

Then once again the door opened, and Professor Snape entered. He saw Sally writhing around on the floor, and stopped the spell immediately. Sally was unable to move or speak, and lay half-unconscious on the floor. She had endured the spell for _far_ too long, and was shaking like a leaf.

"_That_, Professor Carrow," said Snape, as he addressed Alecto, sneering at her, "is Ms. Sally Perks."

Alecto Carrow gasped, as the blood was draining away from her face. "I…I didn't know," she stammered.

Snape bent over Sally and muttered something as he waved his wand over her. The shaking stopped, and she seemed to relax. Her eyes closed.

"Take her to the hospital wing," Snape demanded.

Alecto Carrow was unable to move. She was now shaking like a leaf herself. Neville and another boy in the first row rushed forward and elevated Sally using their wands, and took her to the hospital wing.

----------

Sally had to stay in the hospital wing for three days. She felt better after a day or so, but Madam Pomfrey made her stay, muttering under her breath about the audacity of teachers performing the Cruciatus Curse on students. But Sally had visitors most of the time when there were no classes, and some of the students were looking her up even when they had a free period.

Neville Longbottom was her most frequent visitor. He appeared awed by how brave she had been, and felt partly responsible for what had happened to her. He was also the one to tell her the things that had happened in the aftermath of the event. He had explained to her that apparently, to his credit, Snape had been furious about what had happened to Sally.

Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle studies classes had been cancelled for the day and the Carrows had temporarily left the school. Amycus had returned the next day, but Alecto had not been seen yet. Neville explained that she was probably in trouble with the ministry for performing the Cruciatus Curse on a student, and they hadn't seen her back yet since she might be waiting to be tried. But Amycus had re-started his classes with a vengeance, seemingly even meaner and nastier than he had been before.

Neville had also been talking to her about the D.A., Dumbledore's Army. He was going to start up the meetings again, and wanted to know if Sally would like to join in once more. Sally had told him she'd think about it. She hadn't dismissed it out of hand, even though she knew she should. But the thought appealed to her immensely! Just to be able to fight back! It just seemed so…_right_.

Professor McGonagall also came to see Sally. She had a different message for her.

"Sally," she began. "I recently learned that your father passed away the day before school started. My condolences." She gave Sally a penetrating stare.

Sally just nodded.

"I'm surprised you still came to school the next day. Did you not want to attend the funeral?"

Sally bit her lip. "Professor McGonagall," she replied. "I didn't find out my father died until just a few weeks ago."

McGonagall did not look surprised. "But did you know that his _murder_," she stared at Sally as she said this, "was committed by a witch or wizard?"

Sally didn't say anything as she stared into the space in front of her.

"I suppose I can assume, from your reaction, or rather, the lack of one, that you already knew this?"

Sally still refused to reply, and once again she felt tears burning in her eyes. She tried her hardest to stop them from falling.

"Sally," McGonagall continued. "Why are you now living at Malfoy Manor?"

Sally turned around with a shock. How did she know that? "H…how," she stuttered.

McGonagall had noticed the wetness of her eyes. She leaned forward and touched her arm gently. "Sally," she said. "What is going on? Why don't you tell me? You seem unhappy and scared. I know something is up, I have known for a while now. I would like to help you. If you would just let me!"

Sally shook her head and blinked away a tear. "You can't help me," she said, her voice broken. "_Nobody_ can."

She refused to say more, and McGonagall finally left, disappointed. But not after telling Sally that if she ever changed her mind, she would always be welcome to come and talk to her.

----------

Sally's life went back to normal after her hospital stay. Alecto Carrow finally returned, but Sally knew full well that the ministry had had nothing to do with her absence. She secretly wondered what her father had done to her. She shrugged. Served her right, she thought, performing a spell like that on school kids! She deserved whatever she got.

Shortly after her release, she ran into Draco. He looked concerned. "You okay?" he asked. "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come and see you." He had not visited her in the Hospital wing.

She gave him a distant smile. "I'm alright," she responded. "And it was probably best that you _didn't_ come to see me."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, we're expected back again this weekend."

Sally wasn't too surprised, she was sure she had some form of reprimand coming to her for her behavior in the Defense against the Dark Arts class. She wasn't stupid enough to think that the Carrows would be the only ones punished. Although she was hoping that enduring the Cruciatus Curse for as long as she had, would account for at least _some, _if not _all,_ of her punishment.

"Alright," she said. "But can you ask your family if I can stay in a different room?"

He frowned at her. "Fine," he said, and walked away.


	33. Disciplined by the Dark Lord

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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That Friday afternoon Sally met up with Draco again, and they walked out onto the grounds.

"Did I get a different room?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I asked, but I haven't had a response back yet. We'll find out when we get there, I suppose."

When they got to Draco's bedroom, once again Draco left to find out what was happening, and Sally waited.

This time, he _wasn't_ smiling when he came back. "Your father wants to see you immediately."

She gulped. Well, at least she'd get it over and done with right away, she thought.

----------

Voldemort was by himself this time, when Sally turned up to see him. He did not smile at her when she came in.

"I guess you know why you're here?" he started.

She nodded. "I believe so, father," she said guiltily.

"So, what have you got to say for yourself?"

She looked up at him. "He was trying to make us practice the Cruciatus Curse on this 14 year old boy!"

He frowned at her. "I know. So?"

She stared at him. "You're okay with that?"

"Yes, Sally, I'm okay with that!" he spat. Then he added, a little more softly, "The boy had been out of line. He needed to be disciplined."

"Via _torture_?" she cried.

He gave her a menacing look. "You still have a _lot_ more to learn, Sally."

She continued staring at him, not exactly sure what he was referring to.

"Like," he continued, anger seeping through his words, while he slowly walked away from her, "_Never_, and I mean _never_, stand with your back to a door when you're dueling someone!" He had turned around sharply and walked back towards her as he spat these words.

Sally's mouth fell open in surprise. He gave her a vicious looking smile. "Yes, Sally, I'm angry about your lack of judgment and ingenuity. Obviously, when in battle, you need to make sure you can see any new developments as they appear. Standing with your back to a door is downright stupid! You never know who's going to come through it, as you have now, to your detriment, discovered." He paused to look at her stunned face. "You could have been killed. And why? Because you weren't using your brains. That's unacceptable, Sally. You have _embarrassed_ me."

Sally did not reply. She had no retort for this. She realized he was not angry at her for _starting_ the fight, he was angry at her for _losing_ it! He turned his back at her for a little while, perhaps to let his words sink in. Then he spun back around.

"I was told you and Draco broke up."

Sally nodded. "Yes, father."

"Why? I thought you…_loved_ him?"

"I do, father."

"Then did he break up with _you_?"

She shook her head.

"You broke up with him?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "We just…seem to have different ideas about things, father."

He narrowed his eyes. "_What_ things?"

Sally didn't answer.

"It wouldn't be his ideas about Mudbloods and Muggles, would it?"

She still didn't reply.

"I see." He turned away from her again and called for a house elf. "Bring me Draco."

Within moments, there was a knock on the door, and Draco entered.

"You called for me, my Lord?" Draco said.

"Yes, Draco," said Voldemort pleasantly. "I heard the two of you broke up."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And it's because of your difference in opinion about the order of things, in particular with respect to Muggles and Mudbloods?"

Draco hesitated for a moment. "Yes, my Lord," he said, finally.

"Hmm," said Voldemort, looking at Sally, then back at Draco.

"Do you still desire her, Draco?"

Draco frowned. "Yes, my Lord."

"Come here," Voldemort said. "Both of you." Reluctantly, they both took a step closer to him.

"Apparate us to your bedroom, Draco."

Draco looked puzzled, but did as he was told.

Once they got there, Voldemort took his wand out and pointed it at Sally. Immediately, pieces of fabric started ripping away from her clothes. Sally gasped, as, within moments, she found herself to be completely naked. Then he pointed his wand at her again, and she flew up onto her back on the bed, sideways, her legs facing the two men.

Another spell made her arms fly up over her head and stay there, while yet another spell spread her legs apart and bent her knees. Sally was almost paralyzed with shock as she lay there. She could move her arms and legs a little, but not remove them from their spot, as if they were bound were they were.

"Take her, Draco," Voldemort said.

"W…what?" said Draco, who had followed the whole thing with wide-open eyes.

"Take her. _Fuck_ her. You have my permission. Go!"

Draco looked at Sally. "But…but she doesn't want me to!"

"I don't care. Do it!"

Draco looked at him and swallowed. "No."

"No? You refuse to obey me, Draco?"

Draco looked down at the floor. Voldemort laughed in a sadistic and perverted way. "Would you rather I get one of my Death Eaters to do it instead, Draco? I'm sure _they_ would be willing!"

Draco looked sharply up at him. "No!" he exclaimed, startled.

"No?" grinned Voldemort, as he walked over towards Sally. "How about we ask _Sally_?"

He stood close to her, letting his eyes wander over her body. Sally felt embarrassingly naked and horribly exposed. He bent over her to look at her face.

Sally," he said, with an evil grin on his face. "Who would you rather have, Draco, or someone else?"

She felt herself choke up. "D…D…Draco," she stuttered.

He turned around to face Draco, who stood watching them, white as a sheet. "There you go, Draco," he grinned. "She wants _you_!" He walked back towards Draco. "Go on," he urged him, as he gave him a little push in her direction.

Draco looked at her with concern, and carefully took another step towards her.

"I'll tell you what. I shall warm her up for you," Voldemort said, and uttered a spell.

Sally recognized the spell. "No!" she cried out, but he had already cast it, and she could feel the tickling sensation starting to creep up her legs again.

Her eyes started to water as she was desperately pulling at her invisible bindings. Draco stood stock-still, his eyes opened wide.

"What did you just do?"

"You will see," grinned Voldemort. "Now go!"

Draco walked over to her, stood between her legs and bent over her. He started kissing her neck. The sensation the spell was making her feel between her legs, combined with his passionate kisses caused her to moan. Voldemort was laughing. His eyes were twinkling.

"Good. Now _fuck_ her. _Fuck_ my daughter, Draco!"

Everything was a blur to Sally at that moment. The spell was getting stronger, and she was losing control of her senses. She heard a zip open, and soon after she felt him enter her. She cried out loud. She was breathing faster as he was moving inside her, and she could feel the sensation of the spell reach its peak. She gasped and groaned as she reached her climax, and he came almost immediately after. He collapsed on top of her, kissing and hugging her as he did so. They lay there panting for just a few seconds, when Voldemort spoke again.

"Excellent, Draco. Now pull up your pants and go."

Draco turned towards Voldemort. "What?"

"Go. Leave," said Voldemort.

Draco got up and pulled up his pants. He looked horror-struck from Voldemort to Sally, and back again.

"_Leave_, Draco, _now_!" Voldemort repeated, urgently.

Draco left. But as he closed the door behind him, he saw Voldemort walk over to Sally. He swallowed hard. He had a really bad feeling about this…

Voldemort moved to the spot where Draco had been standing only moments before; between Sally's legs, facing her very much naked body. Sally was terrified, and little drops of sweat had started to appear on her forehead. She tried to move her knees together in an effort to be less 'exposed'. He roughly pushed them aside, and slowly moved closer. She was shaking, and tried in vain to move away from him. He stared shamelessly at her body. Then he looked up at her, with a lecherous expression on his face.

"What is this, Sally? Why so modest? I'm your _father_. Parents may see their children naked."

Sally was close to tears. "Not…not like this!" she exclaimed. Her heart was racing.

He bent over her until his face was inches away from hers. "Are you _afraid_, Sally?" he whispered. "What are you afraid of?"

She turned her face away from him, and he laughed. He pulled it back to him, and let his fingers brush her cheek. "So…beautiful," he whispered. "You know that, Sally, don't you? You have a beautiful face." He let his gaze move downward, scanning the rest of her body, before looking up at her again. "And such a…perfectly shaped…body too…"

Sally held her breath, shaking uncontrollably now as he slowly moved his hand downwards, going from her chin, via her neck, to her chest, until he was just a hair's breadth away from her nipple. Then he stopped. He looked in her eyes, grinned, and took out his wand. With a wave, her bindings broke, and she was free.

"Now go get dressed," he said.

He didn't have to tell her twice. She pushed herself away from him, rolled off the bed and practically _ran_ to her trunk to get out some clothes. He stood and watched her get dressed. When she was finished, he spoke to her again.

"Now, Sally," he said. "I want you back with Draco."

"Yes, father," she said, her voice high and unnatural. Her heart was still pounding.

"You will let him take you whenever he pleases."

"Yes, father."

"Excellent. And you will come back here every weekend from now on."

She swallowed. "Yes, father."

He grinned maliciously. "_Just you_. I shall be teaching you myself, from now on."

She looked up, shock clearly etched on her face. "Y…yes, father," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Good. We will start next week. Understood?"

"Yes, father."

He gave her a grim smile, and left. Draco was waiting outside the door. Voldemort smiled at him as he strode past, without saying a word. Draco rushed back into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Did he touch you?" he said out loud, his voice breaking.

"No," she said, in a shaky voice.

"No?" he said, surprised. "I could have sworn he was going to…"

"He couldn't have done. You know that! Remember?"

He stared at her, relief clearly showing on his face. "I…I wasn't sure. He's…he's not an ordinary wizard, you know!"

"Yes, I _know._"

"So he didn't touch you at all?"

She shook her head. "He just…_looked_ at me. I can't say I wasn't _scared_, though!" She shivered. Just the thought alone gave her the chills.

"Did he say anything?"

"He said I had to get back with you, and that I had to let you…take me whenever you wanted."

"Ah, great!" he said, clearly relieved.

She gave him a foul look.

"By the way," he said, smiling cheekily. "What sort of spell was _that_?"

There was no doubt as to which spell he was referring to. She shrugged. "I don't know. He's used it on me before, though."

He frowned. "He _did_? When!?"

"That very first meeting I had with him. Before we went to Hogwarts, remember?"

"So _that_ was what you wouldn't tell me?"

She nodded.

"Did he touch you then?"

"No. He just watched me."

"_Pervert_!"

"You finally figured that out?" she said, shaking slightly. "He even said at the time he would teach _you _this spell, if I behaved myself."

"_Really_," he said, raising his eyebrows, suddenly interested. Then he grinned. "You better behave yourself, then!"

"Do you think I _want_ you to have that spell?"

He smirked at her. "Think of the possibilities!"

"Exactly! No, I don't think so!"

"Imagine McGonagall, halfway through Transfiguration…"

Her eyes opened wide, as he laughed. "You evil, evil person!" she exclaimed as she tried to hit him. But he caught her arm and pulled her towards him.

"Listen, Sally," he smirked. "Whenever I want, remember?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as he pulled her down on the bed again.

----------

The rest of the weekend went by uneventful. Sally was unhappy, as she felt like her life was being lived for her and that she didn't have any input in it at all. In addition, the horrible experience she had had that Friday afternoon was still fresh on her mind. She wanted to forget it as soon as possible, but that was far from easy. She still shivered as she thought back on it.

She was torn between staying in her room and having to deal with Draco, who had taken Voldemort's instructions to heart, and wandering around the Manor to get a break from him, but with the risk of running into her father. Since her father gave her the creeps more than anything, she opted to stay in the room, mostly, and deal with Draco, who was more than happy to have her around him all the time. He seemed to be insatiable.

She was glad to be back at Hogwarts after the weekend, and actually be able to do some work. She was now supposedly Draco's official girlfriend, and as such met up with him regularly. He loved reminding her that she had to be ready for him whenever, but there was no denying that she did actually enjoy their get-togethers anyway. He seemed to have noticed, however, that she had lost some of her spirit that past weekend, and did his best to cheer her up.

----------

Then Friday came, and they met up in the entrance hall after dinner. Draco walked with her over the Hogwarts grounds. He looked sour.

"Why can't I come?" he said. "I don't want you to be away from me all weekend!"

Sally shrugged. "It wasn't _my_ idea. Believe me, this really is the _last_ thing I want to be doing!"

"He told you he was going to teach you?"

"Yes."

"Exactly _what_ is he going to teach you?"

"I have no idea."

"Any idea _why_ he wants to teach you?"

Sally laughed. "Because he is a concerned parent who wants to ensure his daughter has the best possible education so as to be secure in her future?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Yeah right. And Hermione Granger will be the next Minister of Magic!"

Sally looked at him with contempt. "I'm sure she would make a _great_ Minister!"

He laughed. "Well, then maybe the Dark Lord _is_ a concerned parent!"

"Not in _this_ lifetime, he isn't," she replied scornfully.

They had reached the boundary.

"Alright, have fun!" he said, sarcastically.

"Yeah, like that is likely!"

He grinned and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you Monday. We'll have to make sure to have some fun then, to make up for it."

She smiled, and disapparated.


	34. The First Lesson

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: I have noticed that the number of people who are reading this has increased significantly lately. That's wonderful. However…I wondered if I could possibly get some reviews? I haven't had any for a while now, and I really like to know what people think of my work.**

**I appreciate **_**any**_** review, even critical ones. So if you are reading this, please review? Thank you so much!**

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It took Sally a little longer to get to Draco's room, since she couldn't apparate directly to it, she had to go via the gate. After she settled herself in, she found it was almost time for her first 'lesson'. She looked down at her hands and found they were shaking. She was nervous. She had no idea what was going to happen, and couldn't help thinking about the things that had happened the last time she had seen Voldemort.

He was already waiting for her when she arrived at the room she was supposed to meet him in. The smile he gave her when she walked in, gave her a chill.

"Are you ready for your first lesson, Sally?" he began.

"Yes, father," she replied meekly.

"Good. Now, Professor Snape has told me that you are not making much progress on resisting the Imperius Curse. Is that right?"

She looked at him with horror. It was true, she _was_ having trouble with it. Snape had put her under the Imperius Curse quite a few times now, and she still hadn't been able to throw it off. But she was okay with Snape putting her under the Imperius Curse, since she knew he wouldn't make her do anything bad, or embarrassing. She knew Voldemort to have no such limitations. So she _really_ didn't want _him_ to put her under the Imperius Curse!

"Yes, father," she replied in a tense tone of voice, "That is right, I haven't been able to resist it yet."

"Then we shall work on that tonight," he said, as he took out his wand.

She gulped. Her heart started beating faster. She had to throw it off. She had to throw it off, as quickly as possible, she thought. Or there would be no telling as to what he would make her do! She braced herself.

"Imperio!" he shouted, and immediately, a nice, cozy, and comfortably warm feeling came over her. All thought was wiped from her mind. She was floating, dreaming.

"Sally," she heard a voice say. "Can you hear me?"

She nodded.

"Listen," the voice said. "I want you to take off your clothes. All of them. Can you do that for me?"

Take off her clothes. Of course she could do that!

"No, you don't _want_ to do that!" said a small voice in the back of her mind. "That's not right! You have to keep your clothes on!"

But the voice was soft and weak, and she could barely hear it. So she started taking off her clothes.

"Good. Keep going, Sally, you're doing great," he said with a strong voice.

Sally smiled. She could do this. It was easy. And she was doing great, he'd said so himself. Soon, she was done.

"Excellent, Sally, you did it. Good girl. Now come over here. Come close to me."

"_Don't!_ You're naked! Don't get close to him!" the soft voice said.

She frowned. She definitely heard something now. But was it important? She thought not. No, it was important that she do as she was told. So she walked forward until she stood right in front of him. There was a sinful smile on his face, as he reached out to touch her. First he touched her arms, then he let his hands move over the sides of her body, and over her hips.

"Excellent, Sally, great job." He spoke softly now. "Turn around."

She turned around. He moved even closer, and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. His lips brushed her neck as he moved his mouth close to her ear. Their bodies were touching and his free hand was moving over her leg, her hips, and her waist.

"Sally," he whispered in her ear. "Listen to me. I want you to do something for me. Something very important." He paused for a few seconds. "I want to give you something." She felt his hot breath in her neck as he laughed softly. "I am going to give you something, and I want you to take it. Will you?"

"Don't do it!" said the voice in the back of her mind now. "Don't take it! Nothing he will give you is going to be good for you! Can't you _feel_ what he's doing? He shouldn't be doing what he's doing! It's wrong! Don't do it! _Stop_ him!"

Sally hesitated for a second and swallowed, but then she nodded.

"You will?" said Voldemort. "Good! Then I need your hand. Drop your hand, Sally. Your right hand. I need your right hand. Let it drop beside you."

She dropped her hand. He relaxed his grip, and his right hand stopped touching her as he did something behind her back. Then he resumed his position.

"Okay, Sally," he grinned in her ear. "It is behind you. Reach for it. Reach behind you, Sally, with your right hand. It is right there, take it." He was breathing heavily now.

"NO!" yelled the voice in the back of her head. "Don't reach! Don't take it! It is wrong! It is _so_ wrong! Don't do it!"

Her arm was shaking. Her hand opened, and closed again. But she didn't reach behind her. Something was wrong. She knew it now. She shouldn't do it. She should not take what he wanted to give her. And the warm, comfortable feeling she was having began to diminish.

He laughed softly in her ear. "What is the matter, Sally? You are not doing it. You are not taking it. Are you fighting it, Sally? Are you fighting the Curse? That is good. But not now, though. Not just yet. I need you to keep going for a little while longer."

She felt his wand touch her chin, and she could feel a surge of power emitting from it. And with that, the comfortable feeling she had been having before, came back, and the voice in the back of her head was silenced. She reached behind her. His lips were now touching her neck, and she could _feel_ him laugh.

"Good girl! I have it, right here. Just take it off of me. Feel for my hand, Sally."

She felt around behind her and caught his hand.

"Yes, Sally, that is my hand. Now take what's inside it. It is yours. Hold on to it."

Her fingers closed around the item he had in his hand. It felt very familiar. Then she realized what it was. It was her wand! As she grabbed a hold of it, he let go.

"Yes, Sally," he grinned in her ear. "It is your wand. We are going to cast a spell together, you and me." He laughed again. "That is to say, _you_ are going to cast it, but _I_ am going to help you. Are you ready, Sally?"

Sally nodded.

"Hold it out in front of you, Sally."

She held it out. He moved his hand forward, and closed it around hers.

"Sally. I want you to think about your boyfriend. Think about Draco. Can you do that?"

She nodded again.

"Are you thinking of him now?"

"Yes."

"Good, Sally. Now then, we are going to move your wand. Like this…"

He moved his hand, causing Sally's wand to give a slight wave. Then he let go. "Now can you do that yourself, Sally? Go on! And make sure you think of Draco while you do that!"

She did as she was told, and repeated the movement he had made, while she kept a picture of Draco in her mind. He grinned, and made his lips brush her neck again. He placed the hand that had been enclosing hers, on her neck, and moved it around there first. Then he moved it slowly downwards until it was back on her hips, tracing his fingers over her skin.

"Hmmmm... good, Sally, good! You are doing _very_ well. I am proud of you, my _daughter_," he breathed. "Now listen very carefully, Sally. I want you to repeat after me. Say _exactly_ what I say. But I do not want you to say anything other than this spell. Can you do that? Just nod if you can."

Sally nodded.

"Okay then. Here we go. Are you ready?"

She nodded again.

"Virgo," he said, soft, but clear.

Something was nagging her in the back of her mind again. Not a voice, this time, but a feeling. An ominous feeling, like a warning.

"Virgo," she repeated.

"Cantatem"

The feeling was getting stronger. Then she heard that voice again. It seemed to scream out loud, but from very far, far away.

"NOOOOooooooo!!" it screamed.

Sally hesitated.

He chuckled. "Almost there, Sally," he whispered. "Go on, you can do it. Say it!"

"Can…" she started.

"_Yes!_ Yes, Sally, go on! Finish it. Finish the word! You're _almost_ there!"

Sally swallowed. She wanted to finish it. She wanted to be a good girl. And she would be, she would be such a good girl! She would have done as she was told. Yes, she had to finish it. She couldn't let that voice stop her!

"…tatem"

"Libra," he breathed, excitement clearly evident in his voice.

"NO!" the voice screamed in her head again. "That's the one! The claim spell! You're about to remove it! Don't finish it!"

"L…l," she stuttered.

Her breathing became faster, as if she was struggling, fighting with herself.

"Go _on_!" he urged, increasing his grip on her. She could feel his excitement. "GO ON, Sally! You're a good girl! You are the best! If you finish it, I will be so proud of you! Make me proud, Sally. Make me proud! _Do it_, and I will reward you! Finish the word!"

She was still stuck on the l. "l…l…ib…,"

"_NO_!!" yelled the voice.

She stopped. She swallowed. 'No!' she thought. 'No, I mustn't do it!'

"No!" she heard herself say.

Voldemort sucked in his breath through his teeth. "Oohhh, so close, Sally, so close!" he whispered, grinning still.

He dropped the arm holding her shoulder, and let the other come up to her waist. He encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her as close as was physically possible. He dug his face into her neck and took a deep breath, as if he was drinking in her scent. Then he let go of her.

The feeling of comfort Sally had had, was now ebbing away. Within seconds, she realized what was going on, and she gasped. She blushed scarlet, and turned around sharply to look at Voldemort. He was laughing.

"_What! _You…you…oh!" she started yelling, but when she realized she was still naked, she ran off towards her clothes to get dressed.

"How…how _dare_ you!" she yelled, as tears were falling down her face. "You're…you're supposed to be my _father_!"

Once she was dressed, she ran to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. She turned around.

"Let me out!" she cried.

"Calm down, Sally," he said, as he was walking towards her.

"How can I calm down?" she yelled. "You were trying to…you wanted to…" She gulped.

"_What_, Sally?" he said, with a wicked grin. "_What_ was I trying to do?"

She stared at him. Her _father_, she thought. _Her father!_ How _could_ he!

"I'll tell you what I was trying to do. Or what I _did_, rather, since I have been quite successful." He paused. "I just taught you how to throw off the Imperius Curse. But not only that, you actually threw off the re-enforced version too! Do you have any idea how hard that is? Very few _grown_ wizards manage to do _that_. And you are only 17!"

She continued staring at him, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

"Professor Snape has spent several weeks trying to teach you how to throw of the Imperius Curse, without success. Just half an hour with me, and you have mastered it."

"B…but…"

"You will find," he continued, "That from now on it will be a lot easier to fight it, since your mind is now _used_ to fighting it."

She was speechless.

"Anyway. You deserve a break. You did very well, and you may go now. Come back here tomorrow morning at 10. I am having a meeting with my Death Eaters, and I want you to be there." He pointed his wand at the door and it sprang open.

"Thank you, father, for the lesson?" he demanded, as he folded his arms and gave her a cruel smile.

She couldn't do it. No matter how fearful she was of him, there was _no way_ she could thank him for what he had just done to her.

He shrugged, still smirking. "I guess you can thank me tomorrow, instead. Goodnight, Sally!" He turned his back on her.

She stared at him for one more moment, then she practically _ran_ out the door, back to Draco's room.

----------

Once Sally got back to her room, she flung herself on the bed. She was utterly disgusted. There was no doubt in her mind as to what he _really_ had been after. He had been _far_ too excited! He had _definitely_ wanted her to finish the spell. She _knew_! She had almost lost her claim. And _then_ what? She shuddered to think what might have happened then! He was a beast, an animal! Evil to the core! She was his _daughter_, and yet, the way he was looking at her, touching her… her body was starting to tremble, and she felt sick to her stomach. She was worried, and afraid. Afraid of what else he had planned for her, and of how _far_ he would go to get what he wanted…

Sally had trouble falling asleep that night. She felt extremely vulnerable, without Draco by her side. The house was full of wizards, _bad_ wizards. Locking the door would be pointless, and now, there was _no one_ here to protect her. But she did fall asleep in the end. And although it was a restless, troubled sleep, she managed to remain asleep until she was awoken by a house elf around nine, with coffee and some breakfast.


	35. Lessons and Meetings

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Mya164 (Donalee). Thank you so much for your review, and for putting this on your favorite stories list! I appreciate it a lot.**

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Nerves were raging through Sally's body when she was about to enter the meeting room again. She was slightly comforted by the fact that they weren't going to be alone this time, but still. She took in a deep breath before she knocked and entered.

But Voldemort _was_ alone.

"D…didn't you say there were going to be others, today, father?" she stammered, in a high-pitched voice.

"Yes," he replied, "but not yet. They will be here later." He gave her a penetrating stare. "You and I have some unfinished business to attend to first." He smiled, with a look that made her feel like she just wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

He approached her slowly. "Now, do you have anything to say to me, Sally?"

He waited expectantly. She assumed he wanted her to thank him for the lesson of the day before. She started to feel anger bubbling up inside her. An anger that was slowly starting to overpower her fear.

"If you think I'm going to _thank_ you for the '_lesson'_ yesterday, you are sorely mistaken!" she exclaimed, her voice broken.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Sally. That _is_ indeed what I was expecting!" He paused for a second.

But before he could say anything else, Sally had started talking again. "It…it was inappropriate! You were rude! You were doing things a father should _not_ do to his daughter! And…and your intentions were even _more_ inappropriate!"

A smirk now appeared on his face. "My _intentions_, Sally?" he said, as he took another step closer. "Why tell me, Sally. What did you think my 'intentions' were?"

She shivered. "You…you wanted to…to…"

"_Fuck_ you, Sally? Did you think I wanted to _fuck_ you?" He grinned again.

She gulped, and gave a brief nod, while refusing to look at him.

He started laughing. He laughed out loud for a few seconds, then he stopped and addressed her again. "Sally," he said, with obvious enjoyment in his voice. "If _that _is what I wanted to do to you, I would have done it already!"

"You…you wouldn't have been able to!" she stammered, trembling.

He brought his face closer to hers. He was no longer smiling. "Wouldn't I, Sally? How come? Tell me," he whispered, as he slowly started stroking her cheek.

"B…be…because of m…my claim!" she said, now overcome with fear.

He started laughing out loud again. "Your claim!" he exclaimed. "Your claim? You think a minor detail like _that_ would stop _me_, _Lord Voldemort_, the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen?"

She gulped.

He stared at her again, amusement clearly showing in his face, his eyes twinkling. "Do you know how _easy_ it would be for me, to get rid of your _claim_, Sally?" He paused for effect, as Sally was holding her breath. Then he narrowed his eyes, and lowered his voice. "All I would need to do is _kill_ Draco."

Sally gasped.

He laughed. "You see, Sally," he said in a low whisper, "I could do that very easily. Today, even, if I wanted to."

He straightened up and turned away from her for a second. Then he turned towards her again, and took her face in his hand, studying it.

"Then I could _have_ you, tonight," he said in an ominous voice.

Sally was terrified. She was more terrified than she had ever been in her life. She was shaking, and unable to utter a word. He grinned, and let go of her.

"But I won't," he said resolutely. "Because that is _not_ what I have in mind for you."

He once again started stroking her cheek. "But you _are_ beautiful, Sally. You _are_! You look _so_ much like your mother…"

He pulled back. "But of course your _mother_, Sally, was _nothing_. A _stupid_ Muggle. Weak. Worthless."

"What?" said Sally, anger coming back to her, to join in with the terror she was feeling.

"Yes, _worthless_, Sally. _Worthless_, like _all_ Muggles. Brainless. Powerless."

He paused, and grinned. "Although I have to say, I _did_ enjoy her."

Then he turned sharply towards Sally again. "But _you_, Sally, _you_…" He stared at her again, with those horribly red eyes that inspired fear. "_You,_ are strong. You have your mother's beauty," he let his fingers glide through her hair. "But you have _my_ brains, and _my_ powers! And I must say, I _do_ find that enormously appealing in you."

He chuckled. "Yes, Sally, you _please_ me. You please me very much!"

He turned away from her again. "You still have a lot to learn, Sally. But I will _teach_ you. And I will use whatever methods I need, to teach you _all_ I know. And then one day, you may even be - _almost_ - as powerful as _me_!" He laughed. "We will rule this world together, Sally. You and me, as father and daughter." He waited for the words to sink in. "Do you understand, now, Sally?"

She gave a brief nod, and swallowed. "But…but why…why did you try to make me take off my claim?"

He glared at her. "Do not question my methods, Sally. They work. And that is _all_ that matters!" He folded his arms. Then after another pause, he said, "I am _waiting_, Sally."

"Th…thank you, father, for the lesson," she said in a shaky voice.

"You are welcome. Now let us start our meeting."

He called a house elf to let the others know they could enter, and within a few moments, the room was filled with sinister looking faces. A large table had appeared in the middle of the room, and people started taking their seats.

"Professor Snape will be on my _right_, Sally. And you will be on my _left_, for now," Voldemort explained to her.

Sally nodded and took her seat. As soon as the meeting started, Voldemort introduced her as his daughter.

"You all _know_ about her, now you _all_ have the privilege to meet her," he announced.

"Sally," he called to her. "Look up, so they can see you."

She looked up, and stared around the room. Everyone seemed to be looking at her with great interest. Then she looked back down again. She kept her head down during the meeting and did not say a word. She had _no_ idea why she was there, and she certainly didn't _want_ to be there. She didn't listen too closely to the things that were being discussed. The things she _did_ pick up on though, were particularly unpleasant, and she tried not to think about it _too_ much. She found it highly disturbing.

The meeting lasted several hours. When it was finally over, everyone was dismissed, including Sally. She hurried to her room, glad that she had finally been able to leave. She was supposed to meet Voldemort for another private lesson after dinner that evening, which meant she had the afternoon free, which she spent reading, and pondering over her situation.

When she turned up for her next lesson that evening, she was told they were once again going to work on the Imperius Curse.

"It will not be like yesterday," he said, when he noticed the concerned expression on her face. "You will be able to throw off the Curse much faster this time."

She wasn't entirely convinced.

"Ready, Sally?" he said.

But before she was able to reply, he had shouted "Imperio!" and she once again felt enveloped by this now familiar feeling of warmth and comfort.

"Sally. Take your clothes off."

'I should,' she thought.

"Not again," said the voice in her head. "No!"

"No," she responded, seemingly floating back to earth.

He laughed triumphantly. "Excellent, Sally. But let us take it a little further, again."

And once again, he pointed his wand at her head, and once again, she felt a surge of power. The voice in her head was quieted, and the floating sensation was back. She started taking her clothes off.

"Good, Sally. You look great. Now lay down on the bed."

Bed? _What_ bed, she thought. But when she looked behind her, a bed had appeared out of nowhere. So she went to lie down on it.

"On your back. And spread your legs."

The feeling that something was wrong, was back. But she turned onto her back and spread her legs anyway. He stood in front of her.

"Now, Sally," he said, bending over and whispering in her ear. "Touch yourself. Between your legs. Go on! I would like to see you touch yourself."

"No," said the voice in her head again. "Don't! It's wrong!"

Her eyes flew open. "No!" she exclaimed, and the warm, floating feeling she had, disappeared completely.

She stared at him as he was standing near her legs, smiling. She desperately pushed away from him and hugged her legs, in an effort to cover herself up.

"You see," he said, as he casually sat down on the bed. "That was much better. The first Curse you threw off right away. The re-enforcement took you a little longer, but still good."

"But why," she said, in an exasperated voice, "did you have to make me take my clothes off again? Couldn't you have done something less… embarrassing?"

He shrugged, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "What's the worry, my dear daughter? I have _told_ you what my intentions for you are. I have not touched you."

"No, because you can't!" she exclaimed.

He smirked, as he moved to sit next to her on the bed, folding his arms. "That claim again, Sally?"

She nodded.

"You know you _can_ still be touched. Even with a claim."

She looked up in shock. "What?"

"Yes. Its protection is based on _intent_."

"What do you mean?"

He tutted. "Sally, Sally, _respect_! Do I have to teach you that _again_?"

She gritted her teeth. "What do you mean, _father_?"

"A healer, for example, would be able to touch you. As long as there is no sexual intent, you can be touched."

She stared at him.

"You did not know that, Sally, did you? As I told you before, you still have a _lot_ more to learn." He paused for a moment, his face scrunched up in a pensive expression.

"So technically, I should be able to touch you," he said, more to himself than to her. He turned sharply towards her. "What do you think, Sally. Do you think I can?"

She looked at him in shock. She hoped against her better judgment that he wasn't going to suggest what she thought he might.

But of course, he did. "Maybe we should try that. What do you think, Sally? Do you think we should?"

"No!" she replied quickly.

He looked at her, his eyes gleaming sinisterly. "But I think we should, Sally. For _research_ purposes!"

He got up and walked around the bed, excitement showing in his face. He waved his wand and, like before, she felt her body spread out. With a few more waves, she had moved to the edge of the bed, and her arms and legs were bound again, like the day he forced Draco on her. He went to stand between her legs, and looked her up and down. He pushed her knees apart and leaned over her, grinning evilly. She was trembling all over again, and pulled desperately at her bindings.

"Don't," she pleaded desperately. "Please don't!"

"But do you not understand, Sally? If I _can_ touch you, you have _nothing_ to worry about!"

He laughed. He leaned in close to her private area. He looked at it, then back at her. She was still struggling. He continued to laugh, softly. He put his hands on her knees, pushing them further outwards. Then he slowly dragged his hands up over her legs, via the inside of her thighs. She gasped, and started to sweat. No matter _what_ he said, she was _not_ comfortable with this. Not comfortable at all!

Before he got to his destination, he picked up his right hand. He glanced at Sally as he moved it, ever so slowly, towards her. Then she could no longer see it. She couldn't see what he was doing. She started breathing faster. She expected to feel his touch any time now. She was feeling sick and she swallowed hard.

He put his other hand on her belly, and pushed down on it to stop her from moving. "Stop moving! I need to concentrate!"

She held her breath. She didn't feel anything, not yet. And then… she did. Or rather, she _heard_ a faint sparkle. He looked up at her, one hand on each of her legs now, and smiled.

"Well, what do you know. It seems I _can't_ touch you after all!"

----------

Sally had another restless night that night. Voldemort had let her go after the 'experiment', and she had spent the rest of the evening pacing nervously up and down her room. She was scared, horrified, humiliated, shocked and worried. But mostly afraid. She would have given _anything_ to return to the life she had the year before! Before she knew the identity of her real father. She didn't feel like herself anymore. She was no longer _allowed_ to be herself. She was being turned into someone she really didn't _want_ to be, and there appeared to be nothing she could do about it. Nothing at all!

Or was there? She couldn't openly protest, of course. The penalty for that, she knew, would be _far_ too high. But maybe she could do something else.

So that night, Sally decided that she would take up Neville's offer, and once again join the D.A.

----------

The next day was not as bad as the previous days. Voldemort seemed to have decided she was done with _resisting_ the Imperius Curse, and was now concentrating on teaching her how to perform it, which was a lot less stressful for her.

They finished the lesson in the evening with a trip out to a small Muggle town, where she had to put the Curse on a young Muggle boy by the name of Darren. She had to 'seduce' the boy into spending some time alone with her in a deserted area, which with her looks, proved to be extraordinarily easy. Then she put the Imperius Curse on him. By the end of that 'lesson', Voldemort wanted to dispose of the boy, but Sally protested vigorously, and argued that it would draw unnecessary attention, so he ended up putting a memory charm on him instead. After that they went back to the Manor.

He then allowed her to go back to Hogwarts. Once back, she sought out Neville Longbottom and told him she wanted to join the D.A. again. He was a little concerned at first, because of her relationship with Draco, but she _swore_ that she wouldn't tell him anything about it. _Obviously_ she wouldn't tell Draco anything, but for reasons that she could not reveal to Neville. He accepted, mostly because she had already been a member before, and had proven herself to be trustworthy then.

Now keeping her membership a secret would have to be Sally's highest priority, as she shuddered to think what would happen if her father ever found out about it. Fortunately, she was now an _expert_ at Occlumency.


	36. A Creepy Friend

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The next weekend Sally once again returned to Malfoy Manor, her next lesson being that Friday night. Soon after she arrived at the now familiar room, Voldemort announced she would be learning the remaining Unforgivable Curses. Of course he'd already taught her the Cruciatus Curse on the day they had met, but she was to 'refine' it. In addition, he would teach her the killing curse, Avada Kedavra. Sally did not want to learn this curse, and told him so. But he dismissed her objections with a wave of his hand.

"Nonsense. You _need_ to learn it."

He made her practice on a spider first, just to get the idea, and eventually, after a lot of 'encouragement', she finally killed a spider using the Killing Curse. He then wanted her to practice on something bigger, and he enlarged a rat so that it was about 4 times her size. Then he made the rat attack her. She tried a few other spells first, all of them blocked by Voldemort. She knew he would block all of them except the Killing Curse, so she felt like she had no option, and eventually, just as the rat was about to sink its teeth into her, she killed it.

Voldemort seemed happy. "So, now that you have the idea, let's practice a bit more."

He instructed her to summon her travel cloak, because they would go on another trip. They apparated to the same place they went to on their trip the weekend previously. They soon found a bunch of teenage boys standing together, chatting away. The boy from the weekend before was amongst them.

"Go and get the boy from last week and bring him to the forest. Keep him busy. I'll meet you there later, I have to make sure the others won't remember you afterwards," Voldemort said.

Sally pushed her hood off and walked towards the group of boys. She knew Darren would vaguely remember meeting her, but nothing else. The boys started whistling as she approached.

"Hello there, gorgeous!" said one of them. "Where have _you_ been all my life?"

She gave him a faint smile and turned her attention to Darren instead. "Hey Darren," she said, smiling at him.

"Why, hello," he said, smiling broadly. "So you're real! I thought you had been a dream!"

Sally giggled. "No," she said, "I assure you, I _am_ real!"

The other boys were all crowding around her now, asking Darren if he could introduce them.

Sally leaned over to Darren and whispered in his ear, "Why don't we go for a little walk, Darren? Get away from these guys."

While she talked to him, she felt one of the other guys touch her bottom. She turned around sharply. A boy with brown hair stood grinning behind her. "Did _you_ do that?" she snapped.

"Yeah, did you like it?" he grinned.

She stared at him. He pulled her by her arm towards him, put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.

"Why don't you and I go somewhere private? I can teach you a few things you're going to love!"

"Hey, Bill, let her go," said Darren. "She's with me!"

"Is she now," said Bill, roughly grabbing her bottom again, with both hands this time. "I think she'd rather be with me, though, don't you, sweetheart?"

"Don't touch my butt," said Sally through narrowed eyes, pushing away from him.

But he held on to her and pulled her towards him again.

"Let me go," said Sally, who was starting to get angry.

He turned her around so they were with their backs to Darren, who was protesting. But Bill pulled her close and tried to kiss her. She moved her face aside and tried to get away from him, when he started to kiss her neck. She thought the guy was disgusting. So she finally pushed him away hard and moved over towards Darren, who stood in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "But your friend…"

"Don't worry about him. Let's go!"

They turned around, away from the group of boys.

"You're sure you want to go with _him_ and not with me, sweetie?" called Bill, chuckling.

She looked around at him, and he made a rude gesture to her. Sally paused for a minute. She had a thought. She knew that the guy she would bring with her, was not exactly going to have a good time. Far from it! She shivered as she thought what horrors would be waiting for him. He may even be killed. And then she made up her mind. She turned around completely, and grinned at Bill.

"You know what? Maybe I _do_ want to go with you!" She turned back to Darren. "Sorry, Darren."

"What?" said Darren, perplexed. "Are you serious? You want to go with _him_?"

But Bill was already at her side, pulling on her arm. "You _heard_ the lady, Darren," he laughed. "She wants to spend some time with a _real_ man!"

"Yes," said Sally, grinning, "Yes, that's what I want!" And she let him pull her away from a baffled Darren.

"This way," Sally pointed out.

"Alright, but where are we going?" Bill asked.

"You'll see," Sally said.

Bill grinned at her. "Anywhere comfortable?" he asked.

Sally smiled back at him. "Oh…_very_ comfortable."

He put his hand on her bottom again.

"Stop that," she said, as she pushed his hand away from her.

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed. "That's what you _want_, isn't it?"

Sally stopped. They had gone around a corner and there was no one around now, so she took out her wand.

"What the heck is _that_?" said Bill, indicating her wand.

Sally smiled at him. "Imperio! Now, stop touching me and just walk beside me." He immediately took his hand away and turned, ready to walk with her. Sally sighed. So much better.

And so they arrived at the pre-arranged meeting point. They didn't have to wait very long, Voldemort was there within moments. He frowned at her.

"Why did you bring _him_ instead?"

"I just… liked him less," she replied.

A smirk appeared on his lips. "Good! That's my girl. It will work better that way anyway."

He looked at the boy. "Why did you put him under the Imperius Curse?"

"He was being a nuisance."

He smirked again. "Excellent. Well, let's get started."

Then suddenly, he was gone. But when she heard him whisper in her ear, she realized he must have made himself invisible.

"Take it off of him, Sally."

She did as he told her to. The boy stood there, looking puzzled, and blinked a few times. Then he turned and looked at her. He seemed to remember what he had intended to do, and took a step towards her.

"Cruciatus, Sally," she heard Voldemort whisper in her ear.

Sally gulped. "No. He wasn't _that_ bad."

Bill frowned. "Who are you talking to?" he said, looking around him.

But he didn't see anyone, so he just rounded on her and scooped her into his arms. He tried to kiss her, and as Sally tried to move away from him, he managed to stick one of his hands inside her cloak and tried to get it under her clothes.

"Come on, I know you want this, don't pretend! That's why you wanted _me_ to come with you, didn't you?"

"No," said Sally. "I asked you to come with me because I wanted to talk to you."

"I have no time for talking. Not with pretty ladies like you."

With that, he moved his hands under her shirt and tried to move it up. She took a step backwards and pushed him away. She held her wand out to him and cast a spell, throwing him to the ground.

"What the…" he mumbled.

"Pathetic," she heard the voice in her ear. "_Cruciatus_, Sally, come on. Now!"

She started trembling.

Bill rose back up to his feet. "What the hell did you do?" he said, as he moved towards her again.

Sally cast another spell, but was blocked, this time. She understood she had to do as she was told, or be blocked. "Stay away from me!" Sally yelled, as she held her wand out in front of her.

He laughed at her. "Or what? Or you're going to poke me with that stick?"

He pushed her arm out of the way, grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pushed his mouth on hers. He forced his tongue inside her mouth. She tried to push him away again, but this time he was prepared and held her tight. No matter how much she struggled, she could not get free. So she finally held out her wand, and, since she was unable to talk, tried to perform the spell non-verbally. Immediately he crumbled down to his knees, and started screaming out loud. Sally took a step back, while holding her wand out at the boy. Then she stopped the spell.

"Good," she heard Voldemort whisper in her ear. "Now, again!"

She stared at the boy, who looked at her with an expression on his face that showed a mixture of surprise and pain.

"Crucio!" said Sally, and he screamed again. Sally was still shaking. She didn't like this. She stopped it again.

"And, again," she heard the voice in her ear say again.

"No," said Sally. She bit her lip. She thought he'd had more than enough, the boy looked like he was in agony.

"Fine, then it's now time to kill him."

"What? _No!_ I'm not killing him!" she exclaimed.

"You're going to have to. We're not leaving here until he's dead."

She was shaking harder. "No. No, no! I can't! I'm not killing a person. I can't! I won't!"

"You will."

"I won't."

"We'll see."

The next thing she knew, the boy had recovered and was back on his feet. He was once again walking towards her.

"What did you just do to me?" he said, menacingly.

"Nothing," she said as she carefully walked backwards.

"Yes you did! What was that?"

He grabbed her arms roughly and almost crushed them.

"Crucio!" yelled Sally again, but before he could utter his first scream, the spell had stopped.

"No more of that, Sally. The _other_ one, now, please," Voldemort whispered.

The boy shook her. "I don't know what you're doing, but you better stop it! I don't like it. Here, I'll show you what I _do_ like!"

He ripped her cloak off of her and pulled at her pants. The button came off, and he tried to pull them down. She struggled, slapped him in his face and tried to push him away, but she would not use her wand.

"Come on! _Do it, Sally_!" she heard Voldemort breathe in her ear.

Bill pushed her on the ground and her wand flew out of her hand and rolled away. But within seconds, she felt it fly back into her hand. She knew how it got there. But she wouldn't do what he wanted her to do. She wouldn't do it. She did not want to murder _anybody_, not even a rapist. She threw her wand away again.

"_Don't be stupid, Sally!_" he said, louder now, and made the boy look up.

"Who's that? Who's talking?" Bill said. He was sitting on top of her now.

"Nobody," said Sally desperately, as she tried to squirm onto her belly underneath him.

He pushed her back on her back and ripped her shirt off of her. "You're not getting away, sweetheart. Not until I get what I want!"

He stuck his hand inside her pants. Then he screamed, withdrew it, and clutched his hand. She grinned. Her claim was saving her. He stared at her as he was nursing his hand.

"_What_," he said, "is _wrong_ with you! You're…you're _weird_!" He rolled off of her and slowly started backing away.

Sally felt her wand fly back in her hand again.

"Last chance, Sally, he's going to die anyway. Do it! Make me proud!"

Sally shook her head vigorously. Then there was a green light and Bill fell to the floor. Sally gasped. Voldemort became visible again.

"Let's go," he said, as he grabbed her arm.

They turned on the spot and apparated back to the Manor.

Once back in his room he stared at her with an angry look on his face. "That was…highly disappointing, Sally."

Sally didn't say a word. The image of the boy dying in front of her was still etched on her retinas, and she was in shock. Voldemort shook his head, and sent her back to her room, where she lay down and cried.

----------

Sally was told by a house elf that her next lesson would not be until Saturday night after dinner, so she had the next day off. After breakfast she decided to go for a stroll around the Manor. Shortly after she came out of her room, she heard a noise coming from a room not too far from hers. It sounded like someone was mumbling something.

She listened at the door. She could make out something like "bored," and "nothing to do."

She was curious, so she knocked on the door. There was no reply. She opened the door just a little and looked in. There was no one there, except, in the corner of the room lay a huge snake, coiled up in a heap. It seemed to be looking at her. Sally opened the door a little wider.

"H…hello," she said, nervously.

"Hello," hissed the snake. "My masster's daughter!"

"Are you…are you Nagini?"

"Yess," the snake replied.

"Will you attack me if I come in?"

"No," hissed the snake. "My masster hass forbidden it!"

Sally carefully went into the room, and closed the door behind her. She just stood there, in front of the door, her hand on her wand, waiting to see what the snake would do. But the snake did nothing. Just like Sally, she appeared to be waiting too. So Sally carefully made her way towards her. Once she was close enough, she stuck out her hand. It was instinctive, she would do that with any unfamiliar animal, like a cat or so, let them smell her. So she presented Nagini her hand, and Nagini indeed appeared to smell it.

"My name is Sally," Sally said, as she crouched down.

"I know," said Nagini.

Sally smiled. "Aren't you lonely here, all by yourself?"

"Yess," replied Nagini.

"Me too," said Sally. "I hate it here!"

"Why?" hissed Nagini. "There are lotss of otherss here for you to talk to."

"No there aren't," said Sally. "_Nobody_ talks to me, other than my father."

"Nobody talkss to me except your father, either," Nagini said.

Sally laughed. "Hey, I guess we're in the same boat then, aren't we?"

She sat down on her knees, stuck her hand out and gave the snake a stroke over her head. The snake slithered towards Sally and curled around her, until she was face-to-face with her again.

"Thankss,"

"Did you like that?" laughed Sally.

"Yess," said Nagini.

So Sally continued petting her, and the snake curled around her even more, brushing against her arm in a show of affection. Then Sally suddenly thought of something, and stopped petting her abruptly.

"Nagini," she said.

"Yess?"

"Did you…did you really eat that man?"

"Which," Nagini said. "I get to eat people ssometimess."

Sally pulled a disgusted face. "Ughhh! How…how could you?"

"I have to eat. And they taste deliciouss!"

Sally looked at the snake. She swallowed hard. "I…I guess you can't help it. But I…I think it's disgusting!"

"Your father iss fine with it."

"I know. He's like that. I'm _not_ though!"

Nagini did not say anything, but started rubbing her hand with her head, as if to encourage her to stroke her again. Sally didn't want to at first, since she was so disgusted with her, but then she realized it was really her father who was the disgusting one, not the snake, and she resumed petting her. She didn't say much more to her, but just sat there petting her. She found it relaxing, like she'd feel if she was petting a cat.

She stayed there for a while, then got up. "I have to go now."

"Will you come back?" asked the snake.

"Sure! I guess we can be friends."

"Yess, friendss," said Nagini.

Sally started walking away, when she suddenly thought of something. She abruptly turned around. "Wait… Nagini?"

"Yess?"

"Would you…would you like to sleep in my room at night, when I'm there? I mean, when it's just me, and Draco is not home?"

"Yess. If my masster doessn't need me."

"Great! Then I'll come get you tonight."

"Thankss" said Nagini, and Sally walked out of the door feeling a bit happier. She was pretty sure she'd feel much safer at night with this giant snake sleeping in her room.

----------

Sally now had lessons with Voldemort every weekend, and she was starting to learn some seriously dark magic. She no longer had lessons with Snape, as that seemed now unnecessary. But where she had enjoyed the lessons with Snape, the lessons with her father were a lot less pleasant, due to his 'unusual' style of teaching. Nevertheless, they were effective, and she was making tremendous progress. He also regularly took her on trips, where she often had some task, which she usually performed well (as long as it didn't involve killing anyone). She also sometimes attended Death Eater meetings, although she rarely ever spoke at them. She didn't exactly enjoy them.

The D.A. meetings, on the other hand, were her light in the darkness that had now overtaken her life. She loved them. Also, all the other members seemed to be in awe of Sally's knowledge and skill, and were eager to learn from her, so she often found herself instructing them. They had dueling practice too, and she was easily considered the best dueler. No one could ever win a duel from her, so she would often battle more than one person at a time. But even then, Sally usually came out as the winner.


	37. Dueling

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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One night, when Sally entered the room where she and Voldemort met for her lessons, he told her they were going on another trip. They apparated to a meadow somewhere and to her astonishment, they appeared in the center of a circle Death Eaters. Most of them were masked; however, several of them were not.

"Stay here, Sally," Voldemort said to her, as he stepped away, leaving her in the center of the circle by herself.

"Alecto," he called out, as he approached one of the unmasked figures.

Alecto Carrow fell to her knees. "Master," she said.

"Get up, and join Sally in the center," he commanded, and so she did.

"Sally. You know Professor Carrow, don't you?"

Sally nodded. She noticed that Alecto Carrow did not look happy. She was white as a sheet, and appeared to be trembling.

"Do you remember what Professor Carrow did to you?"

Sally nodded again.

Voldemort laughed. "And, did that _hurt_, Sally?"

"Yes, father," Sally responded.

"So, do you like Professor Carrow, Sally?"

"No, father."

"Do you _hate_ her?"

Sally hesitated.

He grinned. "Do you think she should be punished, for what she did to you?"

Sally had assumed she'd already been punished for that. Had she been wrong? "Y…yes, father."

He nodded. "Good. So, go ahead, Sally, punish her."

Sally just stared at him in confusion.

He laughed evilly. "But don't forget, Sally, she's allowed to defend herself!"

Sally gasped, as she finally understood what he was implying. A duel! He wanted her to duel her. He was making her duel a Hogwarts teacher! With all these people watching!

He turned to Alecto Carrow. "Alecto. You may use any spell you like, except, of course, the Killing Curse."

He grinned at Sally. "You, Sally, may use any spell you like. No exceptions."

Sally saw the older woman flinch.

"Now, bow to each other."

They bowed.

"Wands ready."

They held their wands ready.

"Three, two, one!"

Sally dived out of the way as she shot a spell at Alecto. Alecto had attempted the Cruciatus Curse on her, but fortunately, Sally had gotten out of the way in time. Alecto fell on her bottom as Sally's spell swiped her legs out from underneath her.

"Ow!" Alecto shouted, rubbing her behind.

Everyone laughed. Sally smiled. It was a good start. She decided to try a replacement charm on herself, causing her to end up behind Alecto. She managed to cast another spell that caused a kick to Alecto's behind, just as she had crawled up.

Alecto screamed again, but at the same time she turned and cast her spell immediately. Sally saw it coming and let herself fall flat onto the floor. She could feel the spell singing her hair as it flew over her head. She rolled away quickly and cast another spell at Alecto's feet, which started to tap-dance.

Sally giggled and did another displacement spell, ending up in front of Alecto at her right. She had heard the crowd laugh briefly, until Alecto managed to remove the tap-dance spell, which was, unfortunately, fairly quickly.

Sally shot another spell at her, but missed since now Alecto had done a displacement spell too, and ended up right in front of Sally. Sally backed up, but felt a tree behind her. She saw Alecto smile as she raised her wand. She thought she had her now. But Sally jumped, and used her wand to jump higher, ending up on a branch in the tree as another Cruciatus Curse slammed into the tree instead.

Sally shot a Curse out from the branch on the tree. Ropes wrapped around Alecto, and as they did so, she dropped her wand.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Sally, and Alecto's wand flew into her hand.

Alecto was now bound and wandless. The Death Eaters started clapping for Sally. She'd won the duel! She was pleased with herself. Alecto hadn't even managed to hit her once! She'd done well. Sally cast a spell to untie her, and threw Alecto her wand back.

Sally turned her back to Alecto as she walked towards the edge of the circle. But she suddenly remembered something, something her father had told her during one of their lessons. 'Never turn your back on the enemy, even if you think they've been defeated.'

She turned around, just in time to see Alecto firing off another curse. She slid to the side, the curse missing her by a hair, but she lost her balance and fell into a patch of dirt.

It made her angry. The battle had been over, and Alecto had snuck another curse at her back! "Crucio!" Sally shouted as she crawled back up out of the mud.

Alecto started screaming right away. Sally turned red, and stopped it immediately. What was she doing? She didn't want to torture _anyone_, not even Alecto! Alecto gasped. Sally put her arm down, but kept her eye on Alecto. Alecto looked like she had given up, but Sally thought she might be acting. And sure enough, she suddenly turned on Sally and cast her spell. But Sally was prepared this time, and had a shield charm up right away. The curse bounced off of it.

Sally did another displacement charm which threw Alecto off since she landed on the other side of her. Standing right next to her, Sally pointed her wand at her and shouted, "Stupify!"

Alecto toppled over, stunned. Sally just stood there, with her arms folded, looking angry at Alecto. She hadn't exactly been playing fair, but then, playing fair was probably too much to ask of these people. And she had won anyway. Fairly easily, actually! Alecto hadn't been able to touch her.

"Well done, Sally," sounded Voldemort's voice. "You won." He paused a second, then laughed. "Now, would you like to finish her off? Or torture her, perhaps, like she did to you? Go ahead. She is yours now!" He looked at her expectantly.

Sally shook her head. "No. It's fine like this."

Voldemort shook his head, too. "Sally, Sally. You are _far_ too merciful. Here, watch, and learn!" He pointed his wand at Alecto and shouted, "Enervate!"

Alecto awoke and crawled back up. But she didn't stay up for long.

"Crucio!"

Now she was back on the floor, screaming and crying. He held on to it. Held on to it for _far_ too long, as far as Sally was concerned. Until, with a horrifying chill, she realized he probably wasn't going to stop until Alecto Carrow was _dead_.

"Stop!" she cried. "Father, stop! Stop, please!"

He glanced at her. He stopped the spell, but held his wand in the same position, ready to start it up again. "Why should I?" he said. "She lost! This is her punishment. She challenged _you_, my 17-year old daughter, by attacking you in school, but she is unable to win a duel from you! What good to me is a Death Eater who can't even beat a _child_?"

Sally stared at him. She swallowed, and took a deep breath. "Well, then you may as well get rid of _all_ of your Death Eaters!"

There was a murmur going around the circle.

Voldemort looked at her, amused. "And why would _that_ be, Sally?" he smirked.

"Because I can beat them all. Every single one of them!"

There were some coughs, and some stifled laughter. But Voldemort's eyes were twinkling. He folded his arms. "Those are _big_ words, for a _little_ girl, Sally."

She didn't say anything. She was starting to think that maybe he was right, those _were_ big words. Yes, she was unbeaten at the D.A. as a duelist, but this wasn't the D.A! Maybe she should have just kept her big mouth shut! But she couldn't have stood there and watched Voldemort torture this woman to death, could she?

"Alright," said Voldemort ominously. "Let me get this straight. Sally, you are saying, that there isn't a single person here that can beat you in a duel. Other than myself, of course. Unless you think you can beat _me_ too?" He chuckled.

"No," said Sally hastily. There was _no way_, of course.

"But you think you can win from everyone else?"

She hesitated for a second, looking around the circle. She was trying to find out if Snape was present, as she was pretty sure she couldn't beat _him_. But most of the Death Eaters were hooded and so she couldn't tell.

"Er… except… except for Professor Snape," she said hesitantly.

Voldemort laughed again. "Alright then, Sally. Professor Snape _is_ my most accomplished Death Eater, so I guess I can see you might not want to duel _him_. But how about, for example, Bellatrix?"

Sally shivered. Bellatrix Lestrange was a highly skilled witch. But she couldn't back out now!

"I can," she said more confident than she felt.

"Good," said Voldemort. "If you win from Bellatrix, Alecto will be excused. I guess if you are powerful enough to beat Bellatrix in a duel, then I couldn't possibly blame Alecto for losing from you." He turned around to face one of the other Death Eaters. "Amycus!"

"Yes, my Lord," came the voice of Amycus Carrow.

"Get your sister out of the way for now, but hold on to her. Bellatrix, get in the circle. You are dueling!"

"Yes, master," said the amused voice of Bellatrix Lestrange, who immediately walked up towards Sally, a big grin on her face.

"Don't take her too far, this won't take long," Bellatrix whispered to a horrified Amycus, who was dragging his sister past her.

Sally was trembling a little. What the _heck_ was she thinking? There was no way she could win this, was there?

"Now, Bellatrix," said Voldemort, with a grin. "I would appreciate it if you would let my daughter live."

Bellatrix bowed to him. "As you wish, my Lord."

"Then you may start."

Sally tried to concentrate, as hard as she could. She knew Bellatrix was Voldemort's most skilled Death Eater, aside from Professor Snape. But could there be anything Sally was better at than her? She thought hard. She couldn't think of _anything_. Nothing useful, anyway.

Although… Sally could do Legilimency, like her father, and none of the other Death Eaters, aside from Snape, could do that as well as her, not even Bellatrix. And Bellatrix didn't know Sally could do Legilimency, so she wouldn't be closing up to her. But what good would that be in a battle? Sally wasn't sure. But it was all she had, so that's what she would have to go by.

Sally took a deep breath as she bowed to Bellatrix. Then she stood up, facing her, while Voldemort counted. She stared into her eyes, trying to read what she was going to do. And then she saw. She saw a plan inside Bellatrix's head, and then Sally knew what to do.

Sally displaced herself from the word go, and turned up several feet from where she had first started. But Bellatrix had displaced herself too. She had aimed to turn up just behind Sally, only Sally was no longer there. Sally was now behind her. Bellatrix looked momentarily confused, but with great reflexes she immediately dropped to the floor, and Sally's curse missed her by a hair.

Bellatrix then rolled on her back and pointed her wand. Sally had no time for a shield charm and rolled to the side. The spell just caught the edge of her hand, almost causing her to lose her wand. It jumped out of her hand, but Sally quickly reached out and grabbed it again. Now she was on the floor while Bellatrix was standing up. She didn't give herself time to think. She rolled into a ball towards her, casting a spell as she was rolling. The spell caught Bellatrix's wand arm, which began to shake wildly, and her wand fell from her hand.

Sally got to her feet as Bellatrix reached out with her left hand summoning her wand. Sally had just enough time to look into Bella's eyes before she got her wand back, and she jumped up into the air as Bella swiped her wand in a circle around her, which would have caught Sally no matter _where_ she would have stood, _if_ she had been standing. As it was, Sally was not standing, but up in the air. So it missed her.

Sally flipped her legs up, landed on her left hand, and muttered a spell while she was rolling back onto the floor. The spell caught Bellatrix fully, making her fly backwards onto the floor, on her back. The crowd gasped. Sally was on her feet in no time, and stood over her. She was going to stun her, But Bellatrix still had her wand, and Sally could see she wasn't quite finished yet.

"Cru…" she started, but Sally let herself drop on top of her, leaving her gasping and unable to finish the spell.

Sally then trod on her wand hand as hard as she could, and she thought she could hear at least one bone break.

Bellatrix let out a scream. Sally pointed her wand under her chin, and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Bellatrix was done, she could no longer move. There were whispers and whistling going on as Sally slowly backed away from her. Even though Bellatrix could not move, Sally could see an immense hatred in her eyes. She removed the body bind, but kept her eyes glued to Bellatrix's eyes, just in case.

Suddenly, Sally saw through Bellatrix's mind. Bellatrix intended to perform the Cruciatus Curse on her. However, Sally had seen it and beat her to it.

"Crucio!" she yelled, and Bellatrix started screaming.

The crowd gasped, as they witnessed Bellatrix's agony. But after only a few seconds, Voldemort's voice rang, soft, but perfectly clear, "That will _do_, Sally."

Sally looked up at him, and stopped the spell. Why had he stopped her so soon? Not that she really had wanted to continue it anyway, but still, from him? Bellatrix had stopped screaming and was now staring at Sally with absolute loathing, gripping her wand tightly. Sally didn't think she'd _ever_ seen _anyone_ look at her with so much hatred! Sally kept her wand out and her eyes on her, just in case.

"Put your wands away," Voldemort commanded. "It is over."

The two women kept staring at each other, and reluctantly put their wands away. Then Voldemort looked up at Sally with admiration. "Well, Sally. I must admit, that was very impressive. I _do_ believe some of your heritage is starting to show!"

He laughed, and turned towards the circle. "Now you see, my friends," he addressed the group. "_Everything_ Lord Voldemort makes, is powerful. So also, my daughter!" He looked around, wearing an extremely smug expression as the group started applauding. Then, finally, he added, "The entertainment is over, you are all excused. You may go. You too, Alecto."

Alecto and her brother were the first to leave. The rest followed shortly after, until there was just Sally and Voldemort left. He walked up to her.

"I am proud of you, Sally. Very proud indeed." He studied her for a brief moment. "Now, let us go back."

He took her arm and together they apparated back to the Manor. Once back, he asked her why she had decided to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix after she had already won. Sally explained that she had used Legilimency, and saw that Bellatrix had intended to use the Cruciatus Curse on her. Sally had then decided to beat her to it.

He seemed surprised, and asked her many questions about her Legilimency skills. He was apparently impressed, and from that moment on, he would often instruct her to use it while they were out on trips.


	38. The Betrayal

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Harry Potter was sitting in a tent he shared with Hermione when his scar hurt.

'Voldemort,' he thought, and, as had happened so many times before, he found himself flying through the air. But this time, he was not alone. He looked beside him and saw a slender, robed figure flying alongside him on a broomstick. They landed in a small village, and walked towards a small cottage in the middle of what seemed like a town square.

As they reached the cottage, he looked beside him at the smaller person. She pushed off her hood and a mass of golden blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders. Harry realized with a shock the identity of the girl next to him. It was… _Sally Perks_. And she looked expectantly up at him.

"Ring the doorbell, you _know_ what to do," he heard himself say in that cold, shrill voice. He took a few steps, so as to be out of view of the person to open the door. A woman opened the door, and Sally smiled at her.

"Who are you?" said the woman. "And what do you want, at this time of night?"

"Gregorovitch," said Sally.

The woman didn't say anything, just stared at the beautiful young girl in front of her. Sally stared back, focusing on the woman's eyes.

"He's not here," Sally finally said. "He moved out a few weeks ago. She doesn't know where he is."

Harry felt a surge of anger as he stepped into view. He had his wand out and pointed it at the terrified woman, making her re-treat into the house. The woman gasped, and started pleading with him.

"You were correct," Harry said to Sally, now behind him. "He is no longer here."

A flash of green light, and the woman collapsed to the floor.

Sally screamed, "No!" Then she rushed forward and fell on her knees next to the now lifeless body of the woman. "She didn't do anything!" she cried, as tears were falling down her face.

"We have to go, Sally," Harry heard himself say icily, as he pulled her arm.

She reluctantly got up. "But she didn't do anything," she repeated again, through her tears, as he pulled her away. "She didn't do anything…"

Harry sat up with a shock, trying to comprehend what he had just seen. What was Sally Perks doing, helping Voldemort find Gregorovitch? And was she using _Legilimency_?

He decided to tell Hermione right away, but Hermione laughed at him. "_Sally Perks_? Sally Perks is a Muggle-born! Why would she help Voldemort? And even more, why would he _want_ her help?"

Hermione told Harry she reckoned he must have been hallucinating. She thought Sally was probably in hiding somewhere, just like most of the other Muggle-borns.

But Harry was sure he had seen her, and was wondering why she had been there. However, he had to push the thought of Sally out of his mind, since they had more important things to concentrate on right now. They were looking for Horcruxes. Originally, Ron had been there too, but he had now left, leaving just him and Hermione. They were randomly checking out places in Britain were witches and wizards were residing, for lack of a better plan.

They had recently found out about a street called 'Spinner's end', which was near where Harry's grandparents used to live with his mother (and his aunt Petunia) when they were kids, and they had decided they would go and check it out the next Friday evening.

----------

Sally was once again back at the Manor that Friday. She had dinner in her room, then went to see Voldemort. As she knocked on the door and entered, he was talking to Bellatrix and two others, and indicated for her to wait. So she waited patiently.

Suddenly, Voldemort looked up. "Harry Potter is at Spinner's End. Let's go, now!" He turned to Sally. "Get over here, Sally."

Everyone in the room apparated, Voldemort taking Sally along with him. Sally had no idea where she was going, where Spinner's End was. But there she was, in a dark street with rows of dilapidated brick houses. It looked like Muggle-territory to Sally, and not exactly the most affluent part of Muggle-territory either.

A man came walking towards them. "He's just around the corner, my Lord. And there is a girl with him."

"Excellent," said Voldemort, and off they all went, in the direction the man was pointing them in.

They caught sight of them as soon as they looked around the corner.

"Stand back," whispered Voldemort. "They can still disapparate from where they are now. We have to wait until they are actually at Spinner's End itself. We have put a ward in place there to stop anyone from disapparating."

So they waited until Harry and Hermione rounded the corner and arrived at the next street along.

"Spread out," Voldemort said. "This is it!"

They all showed themselves at the same time.

"Potter!" Voldemort shouted.

He had his wand out in front of him, ready to strike. Harry and Hermione turned around, just as Voldemort had begun to cast his curse.

"Avada…"

But then his wand flew out of his hand. Sally had cast a banishing curse. As all eyes went to her, she looked at Harry and Hermione.

"This way!" she shouted at them, and they came running towards her.

"Stop them!" Voldemort shouted, and several curses came their way.

But Sally had already cast a shield charm around her, Harry, and Hermione. "Apparate at the next street!" Sally shouted, as she pointed Harry and Hermione in the right direction.

They ran past her, and apparated just as Voldemort had retrieved his wand and broke through Sally's shield charm.

The next thing Sally knew was that she was on the floor, unable to move. Everyone else was standing around her. Voldemort grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her along over the floor until they were away from Spinner's end. All five of them then apparated back to the Manor.


	39. Punishment

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Mya164, thank you so much for your review! Yes, Voldy is, er… not exactly happy with Sally right now. ;) In fact, this will be a turning point in their relationship. Whereas previously he had been relatively nice to her, she will now experience the full extent of his wrath, and we will see in the next several chapters how evil he can really be.**

**Sally will be punished to various degrees, in subtle ways and not-so-subtle ways. And although at first, Voldy's not-so-subtle methods appear to be infinitely worse, it is really the more subtler methods he employs, that eventually provide the greatest torture and do the most damage.**

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After Harry and Hermione had apparated to safety, and Voldemort, Sally and the others had returned to Malfoy Manor, Voldemort gave orders to have Sally's wand removed and to have her taken to a small guest room. Sally did not object. She knew she was in for some major punishment. She had known that the minute she had decided to save Harry's life. In fact, she thought there was a good chance she may be killed for what she had done, so she took a seat on the bed and waited anxiously for the horrors that were undoubtedly coming her way.

----------

In the mean time, back in his room, Voldemort was visibly seething with anger. "Everybody leave," he called through gritted teeth. "Except you, Bellatrix. You stay."

When everyone had left, Bellatrix got to her knees. "My lord," she said softly.

"Bella, get up. I need you to go and punish my daughter."

Bellatrix got up.

"Use any method you like, but make sure not to damage her permanently. She needs to survive. Intact, without _any_ visible damage."

"Yes, my Lord," she responded.

He stared at her intensely. "Bellatrix. I need you to make her regret her actions. She needs to beg for forgiveness. When you are done with her, she needs to be vulnerable, scared, weak, and compliant. Then let me know, so I can go see to her myself. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lord." Bellatrix's eyes twinkled. She was obviously relishing the thought.

"Good. Then go."

Bellatrix turned, but before she left, he called her one more time. "One last thing, Bella," he said as he approached her, his eyes ablaze with fury. "I want her to _hurt_. She needs to feel what _real_ pain feels like. I trust you will be capable of that."

Bellatrix was unable to hide the pleasure she was feeling at his request. "Of course," she said, with a demonic smile. "I will not disappoint you, my Lord!"

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Sally was surprised when the door opened, and she saw, not her father, but Bellatrix Lestrange enter.

"Hello, Sally," Bellatrix spoke, grinning.

Sally got up. "What…what are _you_ doing here?"

Bellatrix chuckled. "Your father sent me to… _discipline_… you."

"To _discipline_ me?" said Sally with a frown.

"Yes," said Bellatrix. She glared at Sally. "You didn't actually think you'd get away with what you did unpunished, did you?"

"No," said Sally, and she felt herself relax somewhat. If he wasn't going to do it himself, it couldn't be _that_ bad, could it? At least… at least he wouldn't… she shuddered. She had been afraid he would do things to her… things that could possibly be worse than pain. At least this was a woman, so she didn't have to be afraid of that. In addition, women were usually less cruel and somewhat more lenient.

Obviously Sally didn't know Bellatrix Lestrange that well yet.

"Good," said Bellatrix. "Now, since it's usually parents that discipline their children, and your father asked me to discipline you, maybe you can call me… _mother_?" She chuckled.

"What?" said Sally, frowning. "I already _have_ a mother!"

"Well then maybe I can be your _step_-mother," she said as she pulled out her wand. "Your _wicked_ step-mother!" She cackled amusedly. "Now then, child, let's start off gently. See how much you can handle. Crucio!"

The next moment Sally was on the floor, feeling the agony she had felt before, but somehow, even more intensified. Her nerve endings seem to be on fire, every part of her body screamed with pain, pain beyond pain. Her body felt like it would burst apart any minute. It was like someone was pricking her with thousands of burning-hot needles, one in every square micrometer of her skin. The pain was unbearable! She thought that if it was to last just a second longer, she was sure to die.

And then it stopped. She gasped. Her throat felt hoarse, she realized she must have been screaming, and Bellatrix was standing over her, grinning from ear to ear.

"So, little girl. How was that? Did you like that? Hmm?"

"N…No," she cried, as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"No? You didn't like that? So, you don't want me to do that again then, do you?"

"No," Sally whispered.

Bellatrix gave her a feigned look of concern. "But Sally, you need to be taught a lesson! I think you can handle a little more. Don't you think?"

"NO," begged Sally, "Please, no more!"

Bellatrix laughed, and raised her wand again. "Crucio!"

And once again Sally was consumed by immeasurable pain.

Bellatrix's patience seemed extensive. She continued a pattern of torture and taunts, seemingly reveling in Sally's screams, which were alternated with pleas for her to stop, in the breaks between the bouts of torture. But Bellatrix would not let up. On the contrary, she appeared to be encouraged by Sally's displays of misery.

After what seemed like _hours_, Sally was crying non-stop, and was getting less responsive. Bellatrix decided to increase the length of her break somewhat, to allow her to recover a bit. Sally's nerves now seemed to be constantly on fire, even during the breaks in between. She had felt more pain than she ever had thought possible, and was astounded to still be alive. Not that she wanted to be, though.

"Kill me," Sally whispered. "Please, no more. _Kill_ me instead!"

Bellatrix laughed. "Oh, no, sweetheart. You are not getting out of this as easily as that!"

"No," begged Sally. "No, please! I'm sorry. _I'm sorry!_ I will never do it again. Let me see my father, let me talk to him! Please, I'm begging you, please! No more, no more!" Tears were pouring down her face.

"You want to see your _father_?" said Bellatrix. "You want to see the _Dark Lord_? Why, you think he will be more _forgiving_?" She laughed out loud at that, as if the thought alone was a ridiculous one.

"Please," said Sally. "I'll do anything you want. I'll do anything _he_ wants, _anything_! I will _never_ disobey him again, _never_. Please have mercy!"

"I think you've had enough of a break."

"No!"

"Crucio!"

Sally was moaning and groaning and writhing around on the floor when Bellatrix finished with her that time. She didn't understand how she could still be alive. Every part of her was aching, burning. She thought even now, that she _wasn't_ suffering the spell, that she would surely die. She could not handle anymore. Anything, _anything_ would be better than this. Nothing, _nothing_ that her father could do to her could possibly be worse. _Nothing_! She had to talk to him. She had to, she had to! Oh, if only she could just _die_ right now!

"So, sweetie, do you still think you should have helped Potter escape?" laughed Bellatrix.

"No. _No_!" screamed Sally. "I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have done it! I will never do it again, ever! Please let me go! _Please_!"

"Does it _hurt_, Sally?"

"Yes," Sally whispered. "_Yes_!"

"Good," said Bellatrix. "But the question is, _really_, does it hurt _enough_?"

"Yes!" screamed Sally. "It's enough! It is! It is!"

Bellatrix grinned. "But I don't think so. Not just yet! Crucio!"

After yet another excruciating session, Sally was shaking violently. She tried to talk, but her voice was hoarse from all the screaming, and she barely made a sound. The lights in her eyes were dimming.

"Please, Bellatrix, let me see my father. I want to see my father!" she sobbed, hoarse and broken, trembling with fear and pain, drenched from the tears that had steadily been falling.

Bellatrix stood over her and studied her, apparently deciding whether Sally could handle any more or not. She finally seemed to decide she probably couldn't.

"Okay. Then let me see if your father is _willing_ to see you."

She turned around, but just as she was about to walk through the door, she turned one more time towards Sally, and grinned maliciously.

"If not, I will see you again in a minute, sweetheart!" and with that, she left, leaving Sally in a sobbing, trembling heap, crushed and defeated, on the floor.


	40. Hurting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally hadn't moved from her spot when she heard the door open just a few moments later. She thought she could feel a pair of eyes studying her, but she did not look up. She had lost the will and the strength to care too much, she really just wanted to die.

"Sally," she then heard Voldemort say. "I was told that you had asked for me?"

Sally didn't answer, but instead started sobbing even louder.

"Well? Do you have anything to say to me, Sally?"

"I'm… I'm sorry, father," she whispered softly, her voice hoarse and shaking like her body.

"You are sorry? _You are sorry?_ That is it? That is all you have to say to me? Do you think that that is even _close_ to being good enough, Sally?" he said, raising his voice.

Sally tried to shake her head, but found she couldn't, as the slightest movement of her head sent extreme pains shooting through it. "N… No," she sobbed.

"I was _so_ close! _So_ close, Sally, and you ruined it all. _Ruined_ it! Harry Potter would have been dead right now! _Dead_! And nothing would have stood in my way anymore! I would finally be where I need to be. And now, thanks to you, I'm back where I started."

He stared at her shaking body for a little while. "How was Bellatrix, Sally. Did you like her?" he asked acidly.

"N… no, f… father." She continued to sob.

A malicious smile appeared at his lips. "Did she hurt you, Sally?"

"Y… yes, father."

"Not enough, I think. I should call her back in, to finish what she started."

"NO! _No_, father, _please_! Please don't call her back!"

Sally panicked, and started crying louder. She tried to get up, but every movement she made set her body on fire. She pushed her hands down and crawled an inch forward towards him before she crumpled back into a heap.

Voldemort observed her efforts with amusement. "And why should I not, Sally? What is to stop me from calling her back in?"

"Please, please, please, father!"she begged.

He laughed. "I have people begging me all the time, Sally. It's _worthless_. It does not do me any favors at all! I need actual _reasons._"

"_Anything!_" Sally shouted now. "I'll do _anything_ you want! If only… if only you don't call her back!"

Sally had finally managed to drag herself forward, and threw herself at his feet. "_Please_, father," she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks once more, "Have mercy, please! Kill me, if you want, but don't let her near me again!"

He smirked. Then he slowly kneeled down and touched her chin. She winced in pain. He laughed softly.

"_Anything_, Sally?" he said, as he lifted her face towards him, clearly aware that that hurt her.

"Anything," she whispered, her voice broken, as the tears continued pouring down her face.

"Then you will take off your claim?"

Sally swallowed hard. She had expected this. But she could not bear any more pain! She was beat, defeated. "If… if that's… if that's what you want me to… to do, I… I will," she whispered.

He stared at her for a moment, a triumphant look on his face. "And you will do _whatever_ I require of you? _Whenever_ I require it of you?" He then smirked, as he added, "Even the sort of things a wife would do for her husband?"

Sally winced. His suggestions revolted her, but she could not bear the thought of Bellatrix returning and continue her reign of torture. "Y… yes, f… f… father," she thus stammered, avoiding his stares.

"And you will let me touch you, whenever and wherever I want, without complaints?"

Her stomach was starting to churn, she was feeling sick. "Y… y… yes, father."

He nodded. "Good! Promise me that, Sally. Look at me and promise me that!"

Sally had a lump in her throat. She could no longer talk. She thought she might throw up.

"Sally?" he said, inquiringly, when she didn't answer. "Are you changing your mind? Should I call Bella?"

Sally found her voice again. The pain was still pounding inside her head and in the rest of her body. Any touch still brought back a full-fledged memory of that terrible, unbearable pain.

"NO! I… I promise!" she cried out as, as she looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears.

As he was still staring at her with a ruthlessly expectant look on his face, she continued.

"I… I promise I will take off my claim if you wish me to do so. And I will do whatever you want me to do, whenever you want me to do it."

He was still waiting.

"And, and… you may do to me whatever you please," her voice sounded hysterical now, and her tears were drenching the hand, with which he was still holding her chin. "Whenever you please," she cried, her eyes now reduced to slits, as she tried her best not to look at him.

"Happily?" he added.

"Happily," she added, choking.

He still didn't say anything, and continued holding up her head.

She opened her eyes a little. "Please," she said softly, "I promise, father!"

He chuckled, and finally let go of her chin. She crumpled back to the floor. He sat down and reached out to touch her head. She winced again, as any touch, no matter how gentle, was causing her immense pain.

"Does that _hurt_, Sally?" he snickered, as he gently started stroking her hair.

"Yes, father," she cried softly.

"You cannot bear to be touched now, can you?" he said, seemingly amused about that.

"N… no, father," she sobbed.

"You know I can fix that, don't you? I know spells that will stop the pain. Spells that will make you feel better instantly."

She looked up at him longingly, hoping.

He grinned evilly. "So you can be ready to fulfill your promise to me right away," he added.

Her stomach started churning again. She had to swallow away a lump in her throat.

He chuckled. Then he got up, turned around and left the room.

Sally was mortified and petrified all at the same time. Why had he left? Had he changed his mind? Was he… was he going to send Bellatrix back anyway? She didn't understand. And since her brain still appeared to be on fire, she found it hard and painful to think, so she just lay there, waiting. Waiting for whatever was coming next.

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Sally felt like she had been waiting forever, when the door finally opened again. She slowly and painfully twisted her head towards the door, and found to her shock and surprise that the person standing in front of her this time was…

Draco. Draco's face was white as a sheet, and as soon as he saw her, he fell down on his knees beside her.

"_Sally_," he called out. "Are… are you okay?" He touched her as gently as he could, but she winced from the pain of his touch. He pulled back his hand. "Does _that_ hurt you?" he said in a surprised tone.

He just sat there for a little while, staring at her, as she trembled and cried. "He tortured you, didn't he?"

"No," said Sally. "Bellatrix did."

"Bellatrix?" said Draco, his eyes opening wide. "My _aunt_ Bella did this to you?"

"Your… your _aunt_?" stammered Sally.

Draco continued staring at her a little while longer. Then he got up, and took out his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa," he spoke, as he pointed his wand at her, and she started floating up.

He moved her towards the bed, then let her down gently. This eased the pain somewhat since the bed was softer then the hard floor. Draco put a blanket over her since she was still shaking violently, then he went to sit next to her.

"Why Bella?"

"He… he told her to."

Draco bit his lip. "Well. I guess you should be happy you're not dead. Anyone else _would_ have been, had they done what you did!"

"I'd rather be dead," sobbed Sally.

He looked at her sympathetically. "That's what you think now, because you're still hurting. But you'll feel better eventually, and then you'll be pleased you're not. This is only temporary, after all. There's no _real_ harm done."

Sally started sobbing harder. He didn't know what she had had to promise. What she was expected to do soon! She thought about telling him, but decided not to. She knew how jealous he was, and didn't want him to do anything stupid, as she needed him now more than ever. They just lay there for a while, until Sally decided to speak again.

"D…Draco?"

"Yes?"

"He…he said there are spells. Spells that would make me feel better."

"Who said that, the Dark Lord?" Draco asked, as he nodded. "Yes, I believe there are. But I don't know them, sweetie. I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do, I can't help you." He looked at her regretfully.

She held her head in her hands. She thought it might burst open soon. If only she could relieve some of the pain, just for a little while, just so she could catch her breath.

Then a thought struck her, and she lifted her hurting head up at him, hopefully. "Imperio!" she said. "You can do the Imperius curse! That will make it feel better!"

He stared at her. Then he frowned. "I guess. I could try." He lifted his wand and said, "Imperio".

Immediately that warm, floating feeling came over her again, and the pain subsided. From far away she heard Draco's voice.

"Sally, can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Sally. I want you to be honest with me. Tell me the truth. Okay?"

"Yes."

"Do you feel any pain?"

"No." And it was true, the pain was gone.

"Good. Then you can smile again now."

But the voice in the back of her head was also back now. "Why smile?" It said. "You have nothing to smile about."

The floating feeling disappeared and the pain was back. "Ohhh," Sally groaned.

Draco looked surprised. "What happened?"

"It…it didn't work! I've been taught to resist it."

She looked at him again, her head pounding once more. "Please, try it again. But just don't ask me to do anything, okay?"

He did, and this time she actually managed to fall asleep. She woke up hours later, finding Draco reading a book beside her.

He smiled. "How do you feel, gorgeous?"

"Good!"

"Are your still under the Imperius curse?"

"Yes."

He laughed and took it off. "And now? Any better yet?"

"A little, she replied. I'm still hurting, but not as bad."

"Alright. I wonder if I can take you back to our room now?" He looked at her. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," she said, thinking about her promise, and starting to feel sick again. She was pretty sure she'd have to stay.

He left to find out, and came back with a disappointed look on his face. "Hrmph. For some reason, we have to have separate rooms now! This is to be your new room. I guess that's part of your punishment."

Sally winced again. She had a good idea what that meant.

"Next time, can you _please_ let Potter die?" grinned Draco. "He's _so_ not worth this!"

Sally didn't say anything. She was horrified.

But her fears, at least for that weekend, appeared to be unfounded. Although there were two full days left in the weekend, she did not see Voldemort again. They went back to Hogwarts that Sunday night, Sally feeling elated about the delay of what she felt would be her execution day.


	41. Reassurance

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The week went by pretty quick for Sally. In fact, as far as she was concerned, it went by _far_ too quick. She was still not completely recovered from her torture-session with Bellatrix, and her nerve-endings were still overly sensitive, therefore, the slightest touch would make her cringe. Her friends had noticed this. They had also noticed that she seemed to keep a lot more to herself, would not talk without being spoken to, and was no longer interested in things that used to excite her. Even the D.A. meeting that week failed to cheer her up. She felt like a thundercloud was hanging over her head and would be bursting any moment.

Friday morning after breakfast, Sally walked over to have a word with Draco. "Will you be coming this weekend?" she asked hopefully.

He noticed the eager sound of her voice, and gave her an appreciative hug. "I wish I was. But once again, I'm not allowed." He mistook the fearful look in her eyes as disappointment, and added, "Yeah, it's pissing _me_ off too. I'm really not sure why I can't come. It's not as if you're having lessons every minute of the day, is it? You have _some_ spare time, right?"

"Lots, usually," Sally replied. But she wasn't even sure she would have _any_ lessons at all this weekend. She shuddered. "Any special instructions?"

"Just to make sure that you are to stay in your own room from now on. That's all."

"Do I have a lesson tonight?"

"Don't know. You'll find out when you get there."

Sally sighed. She usually knew beforehand, but not always. Sometimes a house elf would inform her after she had arrived.

"Can we…can we meet up this afternoon first? Before I have to go?" she asked.

She wasn't usually the one to arrange their meetings. It was normally Draco who did that, but somehow she had the feeling she may not see him anymore for a long time, and they had not met up this week because she had still been so sensitive.

He grinned at her. "Absolutely! Feeling better, then?"

"Mostly," she smiled, sounding happier than she felt.

She had a surprisingly good time with him, that afternoon, especially surprising since she seemed to have this constant nagging feeling of impending doom within her, a feeling that she just didn't seem to be able to shake. Regardless, he seemed to be extra caring and attentive, probably since he knew what she had been through, and was trying to make her feel better.

After dinner he walked her to the boundary again. "You okay?" he asked, in a concerned voice, once they got there.

"No," she said, trembling from head to toe.

He frowned. "You'll be fine," he tried to reassure her. "I highly doubt you'll be tortured again. You've had enough punishment, I would think. I'm sure you'll just be picking up your classes again, as normal."

She couldn't explain to him how she really felt about this, and what she feared was going to happen, so she just gave him a big hug. Her voice shook when she spoke again. "I…I hope you're right, Draco. I do so hope you are!"

Then she turned, and apparated to the Manor. She waited patiently in her room for a house elf to turn up and tell her to go and meet her father, but none came. Finally, she decided it would now be unlikely that there would be a meeting that night, and she went to find Nagini. Nagini curled up on the bottom of her bed, Sally sitting next to her, reading a book. Nagini had her head in Sally's lap and Sally was stroking the snake, having gotten quite attached to her now.

She had been feeling much safer since Nagini had started sleeping in her room, but she wasn't so sure anymore _now_, as she knew that Voldemort was the only one Nagini would not protect her from. She was _his_ snake, after all, not Sally's. And _he_ was the one she was so afraid of at the moment. She had a restless night, albeit a quiet one. Nothing happened, and she was more than thankful for that. But she knew she could not _dare_ hope for that to last.

However, the next day seemed quiet too. All the way up to dinner, nothing appeared to be happening. But then the elf that brought her dinner, informed her that she was to meet her father in the usual meeting place afterwards.

Sally didn't eat a single bite of her dinner. Nerves were raging through her body, she was absolutely terrified. It seemed that the long delay had only increased her anxiety, and now that her meeting was imminent, she felt like she could hardly breathe. She tried to hold on to Draco's words as she was walking slowly to the meeting room; her punishment had already taken place, it was unlikely she would be tortured more now. But then _he_ didn't know what _she_ knew!

She hesitated before knocking on the door. She was shaking with fright. She did not want to knock, but she knew she had to. So she knocked, and went in. She gazed at the ground as she walked in, unwilling to look him in the eye. He didn't say anything, just stared at her.

Uncomfortable, Sally decided to break the silence. "Good evening, father," she said, as she looked up carefully.

He did not reply, but took a step closer and she felt his piercing eyes trying to penetrate her mind. He could not, as she was employing Occlumency.

Then he finally spoke. "You betrayed me, Sally. Open up your mind. I need to see everything you may be hiding from me."

He wanted her to do _what_? Open up her mind? NO! She could not do that! The D.A.! He could not see that or she'd be _dead_! She took a deep breath. Fortunately, what he didn't know, is that she had secretly been doing some extra studying and practicing with Legilimency and Occlumency, since she found these two types of magic highly interesting. And she also seemed to have a natural ability for them. She had figured out that it was possible to shield only certain events and open up your mind to the rest, although she had never practiced that particular skill. However, she _had_ to now, as her life would depend on it!

So she quickly recalled all her memories of all the D.A. meetings she had had this year, plus the conversations with Neville she had had about them, and organized them together in a bunch. Then she made an effort to shield off just _that_ information, while opening her mind to everything else. She was hoping above everything else that it would work. She had been looking at the floor as she did this.

"Sally?" said Voldemort with a frown. "_Did you hear me?_ Open up your mind, and look at me!"

She looked up. She immediately felt him enter her mind, shifting relentlessly through all the memories in there, starting with the latest, and moving through the ones before that. Each memory popped up in her mind as he leafed through it, from her private meetings with Draco to her interactions with her friends in Ravenclaw, and everything in between. He didn't seem to leave a single memory unexplored, and moved through them with amazing speed. She felt horribly exposed, and her privacy violated. But none of the D.A. meetings showed up, so she knew her shield was working. He could _not_ see them!

Having gone through almost a year's worth of memories, he finally gave up and let her go. There was nothing there for him to be concerned about. At least, not that he could see. He turned away from her for a moment, as if he was contemplating something.

Then he turned back to face her. "Now, what am I going to do with you, Sally? I should kill you for what you did. Had you been anybody else, I would have." He stared at her, with fury in his eyes. He shook his head. "I had such great plans for you, Sally. Such great plans! You could have had everything you desired. _Everything_! And to think…"

He seemed to be making himself angrier with every word he spoke. "Do you realize, Sally, that I gave you _everything_?" he snapped. "I gave you my abilities and power by birth," he said, pausing for a moment, "And I gave you my time and effort, training you, developing your skills, making you more powerful than you could ever have been without my help!"

He gritted his teeth. "And then you turned it around and used it against me!" He moved closer. "Is that my thanks, Sally? At the first opportunity you get, you let me down? _You betray me?_" He stared at her, rage burning in his eyes, as Sally was cowering away from him, trembling.

He took a step back and turned away from her. "I don't know what to do with you, now," he said, as he faced her again. "Obviously, there will be no more lessons. I no longer have any use for you, Sally. I should… _dispose_ of you. In fact, I still may."

Another pause. Then he sighed. It was an angry sigh. "Leave," he said finally. "Leave, I need to think."

She turned to leave, but hesitated. There was that burning question. It was on the tip of her tongue, she _had_ to know. "F...father?" she stammered.

"What," he snapped back at her.

"W… what about… what about that… that promise?"

A sinful smile appeared on his face, as he approached her again. "Yes, Sally? Would you like me to hold you to that?"

She shook her head violently.

He didn't speak right away, but studied her for several moments. "I don't know," he said, finally. "I don't know what to do with that, either. As I said, I have to think." His eyes narrowed. "As you are my _daughter_, Sally, I do not have any sexual interest in you." He shook his head, while Sally perked up. Her heart seemed to make a little leap. "I cannot kill you, either. At least, not yet. But any more surprises, and I will! Do you understand that?"

She nodded. "Yes, father."

"Go," he said then, and she left, as quickly as she could.

Once outside the room, she felt bouncy with joy. This was certainly better than she had expected! She had not been tortured, she would not be killed, he would not hold her to that stupid promise she had had to make, and there would be no more lessons! What else could go _right_? This was great! And as she was making her way back to her room, she wondered if that meant she could spend her weekends at Hogwarts again?

As the night fell that Saturday, she went to bed with Nagini curled up at her feet. She sat up to stroke her for a bit first. She still couldn't believe her luck, it almost seemed _too_ good to be true! Was there going to be a catch? Or was it merely because she had suffered enough, the weekend previously? She sighed, as she crawled under her covers. No use worrying. For now, she may as well enjoy this feeling of elation that she was experiencing. If anything would change, she would just have to deal with it then. And she fell asleep, more comfortable and restful than the previous night, as a weight seemed to have fallen off her mind.


	42. The Final Insult

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Around midnight Sally was awoken by a sound at her door, and as she opened her eyes, she saw a stranger standing in her doorway. The door, which had been locked before, was opened wide. She sat up with a shock, and instinctively grabbed her wand from her nightstand. But she had barely touched it, when it flew into the stranger's hand.

Paralyzed with the shock of being confronted with a stranger in the middle of the night and not having her wand, she took a good look at the handsome young man standing in the doorway. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and was good-looking with black hair and very dark eyes. There was something familiar about him, even though she knew she had never seen him before. It was almost as if…as if she could see some faint resemblance to herself, somehow! She shook her head. Obviously, that was nonsense.

"Who… who are you?" she cried out, as she leaned forward and scooped Nagini up in her arms. Nagini would protect her, she thought, as nearly everyone she knew was afraid of the giant snake.

The young man smirked and strode over to her, seemingly unconcerned about the snake. When he stood next to her, he reached out his arm towards Nagini, and spoke. "Come, Nagini," she heard him say.

She gasped, as Nagini slithered away from her, up the stranger's arm, then around his neck, and affectionately rubbed her head against his cheek.

"Nagini! No!" uttered Sally, as she stared open-mouthed at the snake's betrayal.

The young man laughed softly as he stroked the snake. "Go wait for me in the hallway, Nagini," he said, with a horribly familiar voice, and the snake followed his orders.

Sally was thunderstruck for a moment in which she was unable to move. Then she _jumped_ out of bed and ran towards the door, after Nagini. But the door slammed shut in her face after the snake disappeared through it, and she heard the lock click. She was stuck.

"Get back here," said the man, and Sally felt herself flying through the air and landing back on her bed. "Now, how does it feel," he smirked, "to be betrayed by someone you care about?"

He was referring to Nagini, but it seemed like he was hinting at something else, too. Sally didn't say anything; she just sat there and stared at him, trying to work out who he was. She had a nagging feeling that she already knew, but she was repressing that knowledge and hoped against all hope that she was wrong, somehow.

He laughed softly. "I have decided to hold you to your promise, Sally." And he went to sit down on the bed next to her.

Sally felt as if her worst fears were coming true. His voice, his facial expressions, his actions and his words, plus the fact that Nagini seemed to obey _him_ rather than Sally… She started to shiver.

He smirked at her again. "I have taken a rejuvenation potion. It is temporary, but I thought you might find it more…_pleasing_."

Sally stared at him open-mouthed, almost beside herself with fear now. "F…father?" she stammered.

"Yes. Yes, it is _me_, Sally."

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** WARNING: Controversial sex scene. Yep, this section contains incest! He is evil. ********************  
** Didn't I say he was evil? Skip it if you like, though. Right through to the next row of stars… ************  
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And with that, he grabbed her, pressed his lips roughly onto hers and started kissing her. He was extremely rough and did not seem to care much that she was not responding. He pushed her onto her back and rolled on top of her, pushing his legs in between hers. When he pulled back from her he was laughing softly, and she could swear she saw the evil red slits shining through his dark eyes. He pushed up her night-dress and started massaging her breasts, as he was kissing her neck. He was rubbing his hips up and down her leg, and she could feel something growing against it. She thought she was going to puke. Her eyes started filling up with tears, and she started begging, her voice choking.

"Father, NO, please, please don't! I'm…I'm your _daughter_! Please don't do this!"

"Shhhhh," he said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at her. "No complaints, remember, _happily_!"

She turned her head to the side so she didn't have to look at him, as tears now started pouring down her face.

Then with one big swoop he pulled off her night dress, and her undies quickly followed. Then he rolled off of her.

"B…but," she stammered, "You…you said…you said you had no sexual interest in me!"

He laughed. "You believe everything I say, Sally?" Then, as he removed his own clothes, he said, "Listen. You will do as I tell you. I won't ask you to remove your claim, because I do not want Draco to know." He chuckled. "Not yet, anyway. But you _will_ do everything I tell you to do. Understand?"

Sally was sobbing hard. "Y…yes, f…f…father," she cried.

"Good. Now, Sally, I can't touch you," he grinned. "So you are going to have to touch yourself."

He waited for her to move, but she didn't.

"Go on," he urged. "Use your hand!"

So she did. She started touching herself, feeling extraordinarily uncomfortable as she did so.

"Keep going, keep going!" he whispered in her ear.

Sally had her eyes closed, she did not want to look at him. But she felt him move around at some point, and then something hard was pressing against her cheek.

"Open your mouth, Sally," he commanded.

She was shaking, as she did what she was told. The thing that had been pressing against her cheek, was now being pushed inside her mouth.

"Suck it!" he instructed harshly.

She did. And she cried, as she did so.

"Ahhhhhhh," he said. "Good girl, Sally. Good girl. _That's_ my little sweetheart! Keep going, you're doing great!"

Shortly after that he pulled out and moved to face her again. "That was great, Sally, that was great. But you're neglecting yourself a bit, aren't you? Let's fix that, shall we?"

He put his own hand on top of hers, taking care not to touch anything but her hand. Then he started moving it. And despite the strong feeling of disgust she was having, she was now experiencing somewhat pleasurable feelings too, increasing in intensity as he was moving faster and faster.

Then he moved to her ear and whispered in it. "Now, hold on Sally. I'm going to make you feel something…"

She felt him relax the pressure on her hand, and something thin and cold moved in underneath it. Then suddenly, she felt an incredible surge going through her body starting at the point where his wand was touching her. She screamed, and threw her head back, her eyes opened wide. He laughed. The surge was followed by an orgasm that shook her body, and each wave was making her cry out loud. The wand left the area and his hand was increasing its pressure on hers, moving slowly now. She could not help moan with the movements he was making. Then he put his hand in her hair and roughly pulled it back. He looked up at her.

"That was _good_, wasn't it, Sally?"

He pulled her head back further as she wasn't answering. "_Wasn't it_, _Sally?_" he repeated urgently.

"Y…Yes," she stammered.

"Yes, _father_," he said harshly.

"Y…yes, f…father," she choked.

"Now, let's do that again, cause you always want more, after the first, do you not, Sally?" He was almost hissing, as he said this, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

She gasped. How did he know? But then she realized with a shock, that just the day before he had been reading all her memories of the past year, including her experiences with Draco. That's how he knew! She swallowed hard. Her stomach was churning. She felt more uncomfortable than she ever had!

After he repeated his actions a few more times, he removed his hand and turned onto his back. He pushed her down on him.

"Do what you have to do," he said. "Go _on_."

Sally gulped, and took a deep breath. She was shaking, but did what she was expected to do, with tears running down her cheeks.

He pushed himself up a bit and grinned at her. "Don't worry," he said. "I know you don't like the taste, so I shall give you advance warning."

She choked, and started coughing. Oh my goodness, she thought. This was so…embarrassing, disgusting, _humiliating_! She continued to cry. Fortunately it didn't take very long. He was done quick, and then held her for a little bit, catching his breath. As soon as he did, he started laughing.

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******** Things happened. But he let Sally keep her claim. It's all over now. *************************  
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"Well," he said. "Some precious father-daughter time, huh?"

Sally gulped. He was actually making jokes about it! She looked away. She could not bear to look at him.

He sat up and started playing with her hair.

"That was..._very_ enjoyable, Sally," he grinned. "I think I may have found a use for you, after all!" He started laughing again. He got up and bent over her, pulling her face towards him. "Look at me, Sally."

She found it extremely hard to look at him now, but she did as she was told. She moved her eyes up as her face was pointing down. He moved his face close to her.

"We shall do this again, sometime, shan't we?" he whispered.

She didn't reply.

"Answer me, Sally!" he demanded.

He started grinning again, and stroked her cheek as he added, "My pretty, pretty daughter…_so…_ beautiful…"

"Y…y…yes, f…f…f…father," she choked, giving a great big sob as she did so.

He finally let go of her, and she curled up in a ball under the covers, facing away from him, trying to muffle her cries with her pillow. Then he dressed, and left. She heard him talk to Nagini in the hallway, telling her she could go back in now, and sure enough, a moment later Nagini came back in, crawled on the bed and curled up at her feet, resting her head on Sally's ankle. Sally cried herself to sleep. But not before she had made a decision. This had been the final insult, she was going to leave, and would _not_ return!

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The next morning Sally started thinking about what she was going to do. She certainly was in a much better position than she was last summer, and she had no doubt she'd be able to make it on her own. She was extremely powerful now, and she was pretty positive she'd be able to win a battle from just about anybody. Well, _almost_ anybody. She should be able to hide fairly easily without any great risk of capture.

If only she could find Harry Potter! She sighed. She knew she had little chance of that! Every Death Eater, snatcher and ministry official was looking for Harry Potter, and couldn't find him. The chance _she_ would be able to was extremely slim. But she knew he was out there trying to defeat her father, and she wanted to help him. More than anything did she want to help _anyone_ who was trying to bring her father down!

She felt a hatred, stronger than she had ever felt in her life now. He had violated her. Her, his own daughter! He had tortured and practically raped her! He was heartless and evil! She bit her lip, as tears started spilling from her eyes again. If ever she had wanted to kill someone, it was _now_. If _ever_ there was anyone she hated more than anything or anyone else, it was him! She wanted him dead. More than anything else in the world, and she decided she was going to make that her ultimate goal.


	43. Running Away

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Hannah and Donalee, thank you guys so much for your reviews! The more reviews I get, the happier I become… Donalee, you changed back your name!**

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Sally did have a problem. She wanted out, more than anything, but she didn't have any money at all, and she knew she'd need some. She thought about asking Draco, but then she would have to go back to Hogwarts first. Besides, he would want to know what she needed it for, and she couldn't think of a good excuse. There was no way, _no way_, that she would tell him what had happened!

She would have to get a job. But she'd still need a place to stay first, and without money she couldn't stay anywhere! Unless she would use her magical skills to steal money, but she didn't like that idea at all, and would do that only as a last resort. She needed some start-up money. She needed some supplies too, but once she had money, she could purchase those. She finally decided to ask Draco's mom, and tell her she wanted to buy something for her son.

However, before she could accomplish this, she was once again summoned for another meeting with her father.

When she entered the room, she found he was back to his usual form, talking to Bellatrix. He gave Sally a devious grin as she walked in, whereas Bellatrix gave her a look of loathing. Sally chose to just stare at the floor.

"We'll finish this conversation later, Bella. I need to spend a little… _quality time_, with my daughter."

Sally shuddered.

"Yes, my Lord," said Bellatrix, with a little curtsy. She gave Sally a departing glare as she hurried out the door.

Voldemort watched her leave, then he turned to Sally with a smirk. "I don't believe Bellatrix _likes_ you, Sally."

"I have noticed, father," Sally replied through clenched teeth, while trying to suppress the feeling of disgust she was experiencing just by standing there and listening to him talk.

He seemed to be pondering something. "Never mind," he mumbled, as he walked over to her.

He stood in front of her, and brushed a hand through her hair as he studied her face. He finally looked into her eyes. She noticed his were sparkling; he was highly amused. "You know, Sally," he said after a while. "It is always the things that I make myself, that I enjoy the most…"

He chuckled as he said it. Then he started laughing. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her tight against his chest, and continued to laugh, louder still. His laugh didn't sound like a normal happy laugh; it sounded almost sadistic. Sally, in the mean time, was trying her hardest not to cry again.

Eventually he pulled away from her and stared at her face again, still grinning and chuckling. "You may go now, Sally," he said finally, as he cupped her face and stroked her cheek briefly with his thumb. And Sally left, as quickly as she could. He watched her go, the amusement still evident in his expression.

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It didn't take Sally long to find Mrs. Malfoy. She heard her talk to an elf as she walked past a room with the door slightly ajar. She knocked and entered.

Sally smiled politely. "Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Sally," said Narcissa Malfoy, slightly surprised. "How nice to see you again. How are you doing?"

"I'm…I'm fine, Mrs. Malfoy," lied Sally. She kind of just stood there, feeling uncomfortable, not sure how to bring up the subject.

"Is there anything I can help you with? Do you need anything?"

Sally felt herself go scarlet. Was it rude, to ask her if she could borrow money? Would she be offended? "I… er… I actually… I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Well, what is it, Sally? Just ask. If I can help you, I will."

"I… I wanted to buy something for Draco. A… a present." Then she decided she was just going to have to get this over with. No use dragging it out. "But I don't have any money at the moment, so I was wondering if I could… maybe… borrow some? I'll pay you back, of course. As soon as I can!"

Narcissa Malfoy had a shocked look on her face. "But Sally. _Of course_, I will give you some money! Anytime, dear. And _obviously_ you don't have to pay me back!"

Sally looked hopefully at her.

"I'm so sorry, Sally, that we never thought of that! A young girl such as yourselves should be able to shop! When is the last time you bought anything?"

"Last summer, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Last summer! My goodness!" she exclaimed. "Then you _must_ go! Would you like someone to come with you?"

"Actually, I would prefer to go by myself, if that's alright?"

"Sure, sure, no problem. Where will you be going? Diagon Alley, I presume?"

"Yes," Sally smiled.

Narcissa smiled back at her. "I will have an elf bring you some. And please, whenever you need more, just ask. Alright?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Sally said gratefully.

"Anytime. Have fun. And make sure you buy some things for yourself, too!" Narcissa said with a wink.

Sally thanked her again, and left. She went back to her room, and shortly after she got there, a house elf brought her a small bag. She opened it up and was shocked to see the amount of gold inside it. She thought there must be at least 150 Galleons in there! That would certainly sort her out for a while.

She didn't waste any time and left immediately, she didn't want to stay a minute longer. She took just a second to say goodbye to Nagini, as the snake had been her friend and she didn't want to leave her without saying anything. She realized the snake would most likely tell her master once Sally had gone missing, but by that time she'd be long gone anyway, and it wouldn't matter anymore.

She went to the Leaky Cauldron first, and once she got there, she chatted with Tom the barman for a little while. He still remembered her from three years before, when she had stayed there for a few days over the Christmas Holidays.

Then she went to Diagon Alley and changed most of her money at Gringotts for Muggle-money, since she reckoned she'd be spending most of her time around Muggles. Finally she bought some useful magical supplies.

Next, she went back to her old hometown. She thought it would probably not be wise to settle there since, if anybody would come looking for her, this would be one of the obvious places to go. But certainly, nobody would be looking for her for a while, so there was no harm in visiting some friends first. She had dinner at the restaurant she used to work at, and was happy to see some of her old friends. They were all surprised and happy to see her. But _too_ soon, it was getting late, and she had to leave.

She hadn't been to too many places, so she just decided to go to the train station and take the first train, no matter where it would go. Then she would get off somewhere at random and take another train from there. Then maybe a bus or so to get even farther away. And just to be sure not to leave a trace, she first cast a disillusionment charm on herself so no one would be able to see her.

And this is how she eventually got to the town of Purley, where she checked into a small hotel and spent her first night of freedom.

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In the mean time, at the Manor, Sally would normally have gone back to Hogwarts shortly after dinner. However, that night a house elf informed Narcissa Malfoy that Sally had not been in her room for dinner. Mrs. Malfoy then checked with the gate to see if Sally had come back at all, and was told that she hadn't. She talked to her husband about it, who informed Voldemort.

Several people were then sent out to look for her. Snape interrogated Draco at Hogwarts, who obviously had no idea where she was. Someone was sent out to Diagon Alley and confirmed that she had indeed been there. This person also found out that she had been exchanging Galleons for Muggle-money, which caused some further investigation into the Muggle-areas Sally had been associated with. There, they found out that Sally had been in the restaurant near her old home-town, but nobody knew where she had gone after that.

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Purley was very much a Muggle-town. There was not a witch or wizard in sight, which was perfect for Sally. Or… so she thought at first. However, it was extremely boring! She had to go back to living as a Muggle, and she did not like it. She got a job at the local restaurant, this time as a waitress, and rented a room at a bed-and-breakfast. The job was tedious and the pay low, although she did make decent tips.

Still, she felt like her brain was wasting away as she was carrying plates of food around. If only she'd be able to use magic, she would be able to do the job so much faster and better! But she knew she mustn't. She couldn't do magic in front of Muggles anyway, but she had also decided, as she got to Purley, that she probably shouldn't be doing any magic unless absolutely necessary, just in case there was some way the ministry could track magic in normally Muggle-only areas.

So she really _was_ reduced to being an ordinary Muggle-waitress. A good-looking one, though! She certainly had gotten attention from the local boys. But she was _far_ from interested. First of all, she loved Draco (and missed him terribly), and second, the experience with her father had left her wary of trusting anyone from the male species.

After having spent about two months in Purley, she was sick and tired of the little town, where nothing ever seemed to happen. She wondered how things were going in the wizarding world. She wondered how Draco was, if he was missing her at all. She certainly missed him!

She also missed Hogwarts, the D.A., her classes, the ability to use magic. She even missed Malfoy Manor, with Nagini, and the house elfs! She wondered how Harry Potter and Hermione were doing, and if they had gotten closer to their goal yet, whatever it was they were after.

Heck, she even wondered how her father was doing. Obviously she couldn't forgive him for what he had done to her, but her initial fury at him had certainly eased off a bit. There was, after all, no doubt that life as his daughter had certainly been a lot more interesting than the life she was leading now. Especially before she had decided to save Harry Potter's life.

She did also wonder how come no one appeared to be looking for her. Did they not care? Did her father not care? Had he just given up on her? Although she didn't want to admit it, she _did_ feel somewhat disappointed at everyone's apparent lack of eagerness to find her.

This wasn't at all what she had imagined. She had imagined herself fighting with all sorts of people who would be trying to take her back to the Manor. She had imagined winning all the fights, of course. And she had imagined herself finding and joining up with Hermione and Harry Potter, and eventually play a crucial part in her father's downfall.

But she didn't even know where to begin looking for them! She didn't even know how to find anyone at all! No, she was just stuck here in good old Purley, playing the Muggle waitress for ever more. Maybe even for the rest of her life! The thought depressed her immensely.

Easter was coming. Another week or so, and the Easter Break at Hogwarts would be starting. Some people would be leaving Hogwarts for the break, but Sally would give just about anything just for the chance to _stay_ at Hogwarts for the break. If only.

And then she made a decision. She couldn't handle it anymore. She could not live like this. She'd die of boredom! She had to do _something_! She knew she'd be taking a risk, but she'd just have to deal with that. Anything was better than continuing to live like this! She didn't even know what was going on, or even if _anything_ was going on at all.

She'd go to the Leaky Cauldron. Just for a little while. She'd talk to Tom, he'd be able to tell her how things were going. Then she'd go back to Purley. At least she'd know then, and maybe she could make some plans for doing something else. But _that_ was for later!

She was getting excited now. Secretly she hoped maybe someone would notice her, and maybe she'd be able to have a duel or something. She giggled to herself. She knew she shouldn't be hoping for that! She was just a little _too_ confident of her abilities. There was, of course, still a chance she may lose, if it came to that. No, she really was better off avoiding trouble. Just a look. Just a look and a little chat with Tom, that's all. Yes, that would be it, that's all she would do!


	44. In Trouble

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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And so Sally apparated to just outside the Leaky Cauldron that Friday afternoon, a week before the Easter break. She was wearing her travel cloak with her hood up, so she wouldn't be so easily recognizable. She went inside and walked over to the bar.

Tom the barman looked up at her as she approached. She noticed the look of shock that appeared on his face at the sight of her. "Sally!" he whispered. "Sally, what are you doing here? Have you gone mad?"

Sally looked puzzled. What was up with him? "Why, what's the problem, Tom? You're not happy to see me?"

He frowned at her. "I mean, you're not even disguised! And that with half the world out looking for you!" He paused for a minute as he looked around him. Then he whispered even softer. "What have you done, anyway? Why, you seem to be wanted almost as much as Harry Potter!"

Sally looked even more confused now. "What, I'm actually _wanted_?"

Now it was Tom's turn to look puzzled. "You mean you don't _know_? Look over there!" He pointed to a poster on the wall.

Sally could see herself waving at her from the distance. She walked over to the poster to have a better look. She didn't notice she was attracting someone's attention as she did so, someone sitting in a corner of the bar, and who happened to notice a few strands of long blond hair floating out from underneath her hood.

She looked at the poster. She was wanted, alright. It said so right there on that poster! There was a reward too! So it wasn't that nobody was looking for her. They just hadn't been able to find her!

She felt a little better as she walked back to the bar to continue her conversation with Tom. As she bought and drank a butterbeer, he told her nothing much had changed in the past two months, except that there was a definite search going on for _her_.

He repeated his question again, as to why there would be a price on her head. She lied, and told him it had probably something to do with the fact that she did something to help Harry Potter not too long ago. She explained that she was indeed on the run, but had not been aware that she had been wanted so much.

She was just going to finish her drink and then she'd be off, back to her hiding place. While she was talking, she hadn't noticed the six or seven hooded men that had come in, and were now spreading out over the establishment.

As they started to form a circle around her and one of them lowered his hood, Tom noticed. "Uh-oh."

"What?" said Sally looking up at him.

But then she heard the all-too-familiar voice, speaking softly, "Sally."

She turned like lightning on the spot, drawing her wand as she did so. But the minute she had it ready, it flew out of her hand.

Voldemort laughed. "Pick it up, Sally. Let's have a duel, shall we?"

Sally stared at him. Then she went to pick up her wand, with trembling fingers.

"You may start."

She lifted her wand. But before she could cast any spell at all, her legs gave out from underneath her, and she fell on the floor. She tried to cast a spell from the floor, but was blocked immediately. Next, she was flying over the floor, hurtling towards a wall. As she smashed into the wall, she could hear people laughing at her. Voldemort was standing, now with his arms folded, waiting, just waiting. Smiling. Sally crawled back up, and tried to disapparate, but as soon as she lifted her wand, it flew out of her hand and landed a few feet away on the floor.

"Go _on_. Pick it up! I'll wait."

She walked over to her wand, and picked it up. He made no movement. How could he be so fast? She didn't understand! She waited, to see if he would make a move first, and then she'd try to get out of the way. But he didn't move. So she decided to cast her spell. He'd have to be lightning fast to stop her, he didn't even have his wand ready!

But he _was_ lightning fast, and the minute she lifted her wand again she felt herself rolling over the floor, only to once again be stopped by the wall. People were laughing at her again, as she lay crumpled up in the corner, her wand again lost, lying several feet away from her on the floor. A little flick of _his_ wand and _hers_ was flying back into her hand.

"Last chance, Sally."

Last chance, she thought. If she flung herself to the side, maybe she'd have a chance; maybe, just _maybe_ she could get to him! And she did, she flung herself over to his side, and she saw him momentarily confused as she disappeared. She stuck out her wand as she was sliding over the floor, and actually managed this time to get half a word out before she felt her wand arm jerk backwards and start to shake violently.

"Nice try," he said with a triumphant laugh. "But we've played enough now, it's time to go."

She was only a few feet away from him, so he was at her side in a second, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the bar, after which he disapparated with her. And so she got back to the Manor's gate again. Voldemort stared at her as she scrambled to her feet. Her arm was still shaking. It stopped as he pointed his wand at it.

"Was that the best you could do?" he said to her, scornfully.

Sally didn't say anything. She was still trembling, even though the spell was now gone.

"Pathetic," he mumbled.

He dragged her through the gate and the front door of the house. "Get to your room," he told her, and gave her a little push as he entered his.

Sally kept walking. When she heard the door close behind him, she leaned against the wall in the hallway, catching her breath. Her whole trip away from Purley had taken no more than about 10 minutes, at the most. And here she was, back at the Manor! How had all that happened so fast?

She looked at her hand. She still had her wand. She _could_ try to disapparate, couldn't she? She tried, but to no avail. The air she was supposed to move through, felt solid. She couldn't disapparate. She hadn't expected to be able to, really. Obviously, they had done something to stop disapparition from the house. But she had owed it to herself to at least try. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no other option now, but to go back to her room.

Once she lay back down on her bed, she felt incredibly stupid. What the _heck_ had she been thinking! As soon as Tom had told her people were looking for her, she should have left! But no, she had to go and have a drink first! She felt like such an idiot. Two months in Muggle-world had made her careless and had given her a false sense of security. Plus she had been _way_ too over-confident.

And now what? What was going to happen to her? She imagined Voldemort was probably furious with her... she started trembling again. How could she have been _so_ stupid! Now she would _never_ get out of here anymore! And who knew what he was going to do to her _now_? She shuddered.

She curled up into a ball, and just lay there for a little while, until a house elf came to bring her dinner and told her that she was to go and see her father at midnight. At midnight? She thought. Why midnight? Did he have some sort of 'special treat' planned for her? She didn't dare think about it, she was already feeling nauseous. And she sent her dinner, uneaten, back with the elf.


	45. Connecting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Just before midnight, the elf came back to tell Sally to make sure to bring her traveling cloak to the meeting.

They were going out, Sally realized. But why? And where to? And why so late? She did not know the answers, but she _did_ have a really bad feeling about it all!

As soon as she knocked that evening, Voldemort strode past her out of the door. "Come with me," he said, and she followed along.

They walked out of the house, over the grounds and out through the gate, to what she assumed must now be the apparition boundary of the Mansion. And sure enough, as soon as they had gone through the gate, he disapparated with her.

Sally carefully looked around at the eerie place they had arrived at. It was dark, and there were gravestones all around her. Creepy as the place was, there was something familiar about it. She had been here before! But when? And why? As her eyes started getting used to the dark, she was able to distinguish more of the surroundings, and realized with a shock that she was back at her old home town. The cemetery of the town, to be precise. But what were they doing _there_?

Voldemort kept striding along, set on a deliberate course. She followed, recognizing more and more of the area as she did so; they were going towards her mother's grave!

They stopped at a clearing just a few feet away from her mother's grave. Voldemort waved his wand, and a cauldron seemed to appear out of nowhere. Within seconds a fire was burning underneath it. Sally watched him wide-eyed, as he was bustling around the cauldron, adding ingredients seemingly from thin air. He spent quite a while preparing some sort of potion, muttering incantations as he was going along, and she couldn't help but admire the skill with which he was doing this. She had never seen anyone work on a potion with such apparent ease and accuracy, not even Snape or Slughorn! It was an amazing thing to watch. But what was it for?

Finally, he looked up from his work, and went to stand next to her. He pointed his wand at the sky and drew the shape of a goblet, and one appeared, suspended in midair. He repeated this and another goblet appeared right next to it. He twirled his wand a little, and both goblets flew over to the cauldron and scooped up the potion, filling themselves to just over halfway full. Then they flew back, one of them stopping to hang in the air in front of Sally, the other in front of himself.

He took a silver knife out of his pocket, and looked at Sally with a sadistic smile on his face. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to hurt you now, Sally," he said. But he didn't exactly _look_ sorry, as he took her left arm and slit open the inside of the bottom half. Sally gave a little cry as blood started pouring out.

He glanced at her. "This is only the beginning," he said, and chuckled softly at her anguish.

He pointed his wand at her mother's grave, and some white powder flew up from it. He grinned, and as he turned to point his wand at her arm, the white powder landed on the wound. It stung, and Sally looked up at him, shock and concern showing in her face. But he was not done yet. He let the powder dissolve into her wound for a little while, as he was holding her arm out towards him. Then he touched the wound with his wand, looking intently at her as he slowly started withdrawing it.

As soon as he did this, Sally's body seemed to be tearing apart. The pain was incredible, and Sally immediately sank to the floor on her knees as she screamed out. The powder seemed to be sticking to his wand, and as he withdrew it, little red pieces of thread seemed to be hanging off each grain of powder, becoming longer as he was pulling more. The pieces of thread came out of her body, and as he was pulling, it seemed as if it was the glue that was holding her body together, and was now pulling it apart. They appeared to be coming out of every vein in her body, from her head down to her toes, and be pulled from where they originally resided towards the wound on her arm.

"_Stop_! Stop, _please_! It hurts!" she cried, as tears were bursting from her eyes and she tried desperately to pull her arm away from him.

But he held on tight. "Just a little longer," he said, as he continued pulling.

Then with a snap, the pieces of thread gave way and came apart from her body. It felt like a knife had been slashed through all the veins of her body at once to cut off the thread. The pain was sharp and extreme. He let go of her arm at the same time, and she fell from her knees onto the ground, rolling around, clutching her arm as she did so, crying in agony. He was no longer paying attention to her, but instead was concentrating on the red lines hanging from his wand, which he lifted up high over the goblet in front of him, and let them sink into it.

Then he turned back to her. "Get up, Sally. The worst is over now."

Still sobbing, she slowly crawled back on her feet, and continued clutching her arm.

"Face me, and hold up your arm," he commanded, and reluctantly she turned towards him and lifted her arm somewhat.

Then he took out his knife again, and this time he sliced open his own left arm, causing an identical wound to hers. He grabbed her goblet and simply let his blood drip into it. Sally stared at him in amazement. She was completely baffled by the whole situation, and felt a little cheated by the fact that _he_ obviously didn't have to suffer the same pain as she did! Was he just torturing her because she had ran away? Had the whole powder-pulling thread thing been unnecessary, and just some way of satisfying his cruel sense of pleasure?

When he was done pouring his blood into her goblet, he handed it to her. She took it with her free hand.

"Bend your left arm and hold it out to me, turning your hand to face me," he instructed her.

As she followed his instructions, he did the same with _his_ left arm, until the two arms were touching at the wounds. He pointed his wand at the arms, and a rope came out of it, tying their arms together. She had a strange sensation that she could feel his blood slowly flowing into her veins. _The wounds were connecting them!_

Then he took his own goblet. "Now drink! All of it. Every last drop, Sally!"

She drank, and he did the same. The minute the liquid entered her mouth, she felt like spitting it out. It was disgusting! But she didn't. She had the feeling he might have her go through the whole thing again, if she were to spit it out. So she swallowed. And she drank more, until she had drained the goblet. Then she looked up to see that he had done the same. His goblet was now empty too. She felt herself going dizzy. As she looked up at his face, she could see him smirking at her. Her blood felt like it was boiling, and bubbling up everywhere in her body. It was like a fog had descended over the two of them, cutting them off from the world. She could almost feel him enter her body through the wound on her arm.

And then suddenly it was over. The dizziness was gone, the fog was gone, and so was the pain. Her arm felt normal, and was no longer bound to his. She looked at him, unsure of what had just happened, but glad that it was over. She pulled her arm towards her and looked at what had only seconds before been a gaping wound. It was gone. Completely. The wound had healed itself up.

He smiled at her with an odd, self-indulgent kind of smile. "We're done!" he exclaimed, and with a sweep of his wand, goblets, cauldron and everything else he had used, disappeared. "Let's go back."

He walked over to her and held her arm. Then he raised his wand one more time as he turned, and they apparated back to the gate of Malfoy Manor.

As they were walking over the grounds back towards the house, Sally finally picked up the courage to speak. "What…what just happened? What did you do?"

He looked sternly at her, and she hastily added, "Father."

Then he gave her a mysteriously amused look. "You will find out, _later_."

He wouldn't say anymore about it, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Once they got to his room, he said in a sarcastic tone, "Goodnight, Sally. Sweet dreams!" And he went inside, laughing softly as he closed the door behind him.

As Sally continued on to her own room, she wondered what exactly had happened to her that night, and _how_ she was going to find out.


	46. Voldemort's Solution

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, once again thank you for your review! But no, Voldemort does not want to bring back Sally's mother, as he considers her nothing more than a worthless Muggle. You'll find out in this chapter what his reasons were, and as you so rightfully deduced, it is _not_ good... :(**

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Sally had an extremely restless sleep that night, and in the morning the house elf told her she had another meeting right after breakfast.

As she entered Voldemort's room that day, he was waiting for her. His eyes were twinkling as he spoke, he was clearly happy about something. "_Now_, Sally. Would you like to know what our… _adventure_, last night was about?"

"Yes, father," said Sally, with a curious, but concerned look.

"Come here."

She carefully took a few steps towards him. He smirked as he crossed the final distance between them in one step, and grabbed her arms. He looked intently into her eyes. Then he quickly turned her around, holding her against him as he did so. He held her tight with his left arm around her chest, as his right hand moved down towards her pants. He moved inside them, and then further down into her undies. She gasped as he touched her, and she felt his breath in her neck as he moved his fingers around. _He was touching her!_

'Oh, Merlin!' she thought. He was touching her! Her heart started pounding, and she felt like it would bounce right out of her chest. "_Stop!_" she cried. "Stop that!"

But he just laughed, and instead of stopping he moved his hand even further down. Then he pushed two fingers deep inside her. She screamed out loud, and, once again, she felt tears welling up behind her eyelids.

But then he withdrew his hand, turned her back around to face him, and stared at her, smirking in the most self-satisfied way. "You see, Sally. I can touch you now!"

She swallowed and tried to blink away her tears. "But… but how? Is… is my claim gone?" she choked.

"No. It's still there. And it will _stay_ there now." He laughed. "I didn't _really_ want to get rid of it, as it keeps you safe. But I didn't like that I couldn't touch you. So I fixed that."

She took a step back from him. There was panic in her voice, it was high and shrill. "But… but how is that possible? I… I didn't think there was a way around it!"

"There isn't. Not normally. But I had noticed, during our little 'experiment' a while back, that your claim didn't seem to be as strong as normal with me. Not half as strong, actually. And I knew that was not because of the absence of sexual intent, of course," he grinned wickedly at this, "since _that_ was definitely there."

He paused to look at her, as she looked shocked and disgusted. "Anyway, it still stopped me from touching you, but I found it… _intriguing_, that it didn't work the same for me. So I did a little research."

He grinned. "You can touch _yourself_. I knew that, but confirmed it anyway on a different occasion, as you may remember."

He laughed, and she closed her eyes briefly. Yes, she remembered, of course. She didn't think she would _ever_ forget. She shuddered.

"So since I am your _father_, and half of your blood comes from _me_, I inferred that it must be related to _that_. I thought that if I could fool your claim into thinking that you and I were the same, I should be able to touch you without problem. So what was missing? Well, obviously your mother's blood. I needed to add your mother's blood to my own. Unfortunately, though, your mother is dead. So I couldn't use her blood directly, and had to think of something else.

But of course, your mother's blood also resides in you! Well, not all of it, but certainly, the part of your mother's blood that _you_ possess, is the only part that I would need anyway. I could get what I needed from _you_! I used some of your mother's remains to identify those parts of your blood that you inherited from her, and extracted that."

Here he waited and grinned at her for a moment. "I am afraid that _is_ kind of a painful process, though."

"I…I noticed," Sally stammered, as she was getting more and more nervous.

"Now, obviously, you didn't get _all_ of my blood at birth, only just about half of it. That is why I needed to add _my_ blood to _you,_ as well." He paused again. "And that was it, really. The basics of it, anyway. And as I just showed you, it worked perfectly!" He held out his hand to her. "No blisters…"

She swallowed hard again, and picked up all her courage before continuing to speak. "But… but it's obviously like that, because you're not _supposed_ to touch me! You're my _father_, and fathers shouldn't touch their daughters like that!"

He scoffed and turned around. "Yes, well. Who's going to stop me?" Then he turned back to face her. "_No one_ is, Sally. Everyone in this world is afraid of me! Everyone! So I can do whatever I please. And I will!" He gave her a menacing look as he said this. But then he paused, and broke into a self-indulgent smile again. "Well, that is it. It will be like your claim is _mine_ now. No one but me can touch you."

"What… what about Draco?"

"Yes. And _him_, unfortunately. You will need to keep away from him. Obviously, I can no longer kill him now, since if he dies, his claim – _my_ claim – will be gone. So he will have to live." He turned around, seemingly pondering something. Then he turned back to Sally. "You may go."

Sally was still staring at him in shock, but as he said these last words, she quickly turned around, and rushed out the door.

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As soon as she reached the hallway and had thrown the door shut behind her, she clasped her hand over her mouth and stared at the wall in front of her. She couldn't believe this! It was worse than she thought! All that, just because he wanted to… he wanted to… She felt as if she was going to throw up. She had started to cry and began to run. She wasn't sure where to run to! She had nowhere to run. Nowhere to go! She was stuck. There was nothing she could do, absolutely nothing! Her heart was racing and she was no longer able to think. She didn't _want_ to think! The horror of what was happening to her was overpowering her, and she felt weak and empty.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a door. It was the door to Draco's room. In an instant, she decided to go in. She didn't want to go to her own room. If she did it would be like waiting for her execution. At least in Draco's room she could feel somewhat safe, if only for a little while. So she opened the door and ran in, tears still streaming over her cheeks, sobbing hard.

"Sally!" she heard a familiar voice say. "What's up?"

It was Draco. He was here! She stared at him for a second, then she flung herself in his arms. He held her for a while as she was crying her heart out. Draco just stood there, unsure what to do. So he did nothing, and waited until she had calmed down a bit.

Then he pulled back a little and lifted her chin up to him. "Nice to see you too."

"I missed you so much!"

"Did you now. Funny, I wouldn't have guessed! Seeing as you left me for _months_, and I didn't hear a thing from you, and I had no idea where you were?"

"I'm sorry," she said, as she looked up at him, pleadingly. "_Kiss_ me, Draco, please!"

"_Kiss you?_ But er… how about…"

He never finished his sentence as she threw her arms around his neck and started kissing him. He responded right away. Within no time, they were naked and on his bed.

"I guess you can explain later," Draco said, somewhat puzzled, but highly excited.

After a short time and some very satisfying sex, he tried again. She was lying in his arms as he was stroking her hair. "Now why were you crying just now?"

"Voldemort."

"Why, did he hurt you?"

"Not physically."

"So it was something he said?"

"Yes."

"Then what did he say?"

"Well er… a _lot_, actually. But one of the things was that he doesn't want you near me anymore."

"_What?_" he said as he looked at her, shocked. "Why, what did _I_ do?"

"It's not you. He just… he just wants to keep me for himself."

Draco looked at her with an extremely puzzled expression. "What the heck are you talking about?" he said, frowning. "In what way?"

"You _know_ what I mean," she said, as tears started forming in her eyes again.

He stared at her for a little while. "You mean… not… _sexually_?"

"Yes. Exactly!"

"But… he's your father! That's impossible!"

"Is it?" she said, frowning now too.

He stared at her again. "Sally… did he… _did he touch you?_ Did he do anything to you?"

She nodded, as she averted her eyes away from him.

He gulped, and looked at her as if in shock, his eyes opened wide, his breathing irregular. "_When?"_

"The night before I ran away."

"Is _that_ why you ran away?"

"Yes."

Nobody said anything for a little while.

Then he said, "Exactly _what_ happened that night, Sally? He couldn't have… _raped_ you since… I still have my claim!"

She took a deep breath. "That night, no, he couldn't. But he… he… I had to… he made me…"

She was stuttering and couldn't finish her sentence.

Draco was still looking at her, but now she noticed a hint of anger in his face. He sat up straighter. "Did you suck his _cock_, Sally?"

She looked at him guiltily, then cast her eyes downward.

"You _did_, didn't you?" he gasped in an accusing tone, his voice now raised, his hands tightening around her arms.

She nodded, unable to look at him.

"Sally!" he exclaimed. "How… how _could_ you!"

She finally looked up at him. "It's not like I had a choice!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Why, were you under the Imperius Curse?"

"No."

He scoffed. "Well then!"

Now Sally was getting angry too. He made her feel like it was something she had _wanted_ to do! She got out of the bed.

"How… how _dare_ you, Draco! You _know_ who we're dealing with here. You _know_ there is _no way_ you can refuse him! You _know_ that! Nobody refuses him _anything_, _you_ wouldn't either!" And she burst into tears again.

After staring at her for a moment, he looked away, rubbing his face with his hands.

After a little while he finally looked up at her again. "So… so _now_ what? He wants to continue that? Is that why he wants to keep me away from you?"

"Yes."

"Is he going to get you to remove my claim?" he whispered, swallowing hard.

"No."

He looked at her. "No?" he said, with surprise in his voice. "You're keeping it?" He sounded skeptical.

"Yes," she said, with a mirthless laugh.

Then after a few seconds he spoke again, sounding slightly more relieved. He swallowed, his eyes staring into space. "Well, at least… at least he won't be able to…"

"He _will_," she interrupted, looking intensely at him now.

Draco looked puzzled.

"He… found a way around it."

"_What?_"

Sally just stared at him.

"_He found a way around it?_"

"Yes."

"But that's not possible!"

"It _is_. And he _did_."

Draco gasped again, his eyes opened wide as he gave her another horrified look. "Did he…did he _rape_ you, then?"

"No, not yet. But it seems to be on his to-do list."

"So then how do you know he managed to find a way around it?"

"He can touch me."

"He tried?"

"Yes."

He swallowed again, and looked away, trying to hide his expression of disgust. "But… but how? _How_ is that possible?"

"He…he took me to my mom's grave. And… and I had to drink some potion. He drank something too. And… something about blood. He cut my arm." Sally started sobbing again and was unable to continue.

Draco stared at her in disbelief. "You… you're not kidding, aren't you?"

She shook her head.

He started swearing out loud as he held his head in his hands again. Then he looked at her, grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the bed.

"Sally," he whispered softly. And as she looked at him, she thought she saw what looked like tears forming in his eyes.

Then he put his arms around her and hugged her tight.


	47. Saving Draco

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Late in the afternoon that day, Voldemort was talking to Lucius Malfoy about Hogwarts. "Let Severus know that he needs to increase the security at Hogwarts. None of the kids should be able to reach the boundaries and disapparate on their own, as I need to make sure Sally will not run away again after she goes back to school. And let him know that he needs to bring her here himself on Fridays, from now on."

"Yes, my Lord," said Lucius.

"And someone needs to take her to Hogwarts tomorrow night."

"My son should be able to do that, my Lord."

Voldemort frowned. "_Draco?_ But he is at Hogwarts right now, is he not?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, I let him know his girlfriend was found last night and he seemed pretty keen to come back to see her."

"He's _here_?"

"Yes, my Lord. I believe…"

Lucius hadn't finished his sentence yet, but Voldemort was no longer listening. He stormed out the door, towards Draco's bedroom.

"My Lord?" Lucius called after him. "What…what is it?"

Voldemort didn't answer, but continued on, Lucius following in his wake. Once he got to Draco's room he blasted the door out of the way and rushed inside. Sally and Draco were sitting next to each other on his bed. They had just got dressed, as they had decided to go for a walk before dinner. Voldemort now stood in front of them, seething with anger, his wand out.

"Sally," he said in a menacing tone. "_What_ do you think you are doing?"

Both Sally and Draco got up.

"I…I…" Sally stammered.

He looked at her for a second, and then he turned on Draco. He took one step towards him and stared into his eyes. "Ahhhh!" he said, as he lifted his wand and struck Draco to the floor with a spell. He looked _livid_. "Crucio!" he shouted, pointing to Draco.

"_No_!" yelled Sally. "No! Please! Please, stop that, father! Stop that, please! _Please_!"

"I _saw_ what you did. I won't kill him. But I _will_ make sure that he is no longer a threat to me!"

Lucius stood in the door opening, with a terrified look in his eyes as he saw Voldemort torturing his son.

Sally had thrown herself on the floor at Voldemort's feet, and was pulling at his robes. "_NO_! NO, NO, _NO_! _Please_, please don't! I'm begging you, _stop_! I'll do _anything_! Anything you want, but please stop it! Please stop it _now_! Father!"

It wasn't working. He was ignoring her, and just concentrated on Draco.

Sally was crying. She sat up a little and held on to his leg, trying to get his attention. "Father, please! I'll…I'll make it worth your while! I swear I will! You won't regret it! Please, PLEASE, I SWEAR! You…you can always finish this later if you don't think I'm good enough! PLEASE!"

He stopped. She finally got his attention. He twirled his wand around in his fingers, as he looked at her. "Hmm."

Draco was not moving. He looked barely conscious.

Then Voldemort strode out of the room, dragging Sally along with him. He smirked at Lucius as he went past him. "He should be alright. That wasn't anywhere near long enough yet; you can go see to him."

Lucius ran into the room to take care of his son, as Voldemort dragged Sally to her room. Sally was still crying. Once they got there, he folded his arms, narrowed his eyes and stared at her, as she lay sobbing on the floor.

"Did you not understand me this morning?" he snapped. "Was I not clear enough?"

Sally continued to sob.

"_I asked you a question!_" he shouted.

"Y…yes, b…but I…I _love_ him," she stammered, in a whisper.

"You love him," he said, in a mocking tone. "_You love him_? And _why_, would _I_ care about _that_? I do not care what you think about him, Sally. You need to do as I _tell_ you! I don't want you _anywhere_ near him! _Ever_! Is _that_, clear?"

She nodded.

"Y…yes, f…father," she whispered. "I…I'm sorry!"

He just stood there, looking at her for a while. Then he said, "Get up."

Sally carefully got to her feet.

"_Now_," he said. "Make it worth my while."

Sally was still sobbing and started wiping her tears away with the back of her hands. A chill was rising up inside her. She understood what she had to do; she had to make it worth his while, or he would torture Draco into insanity, just like what had happened to Neville's parents. And she had to avoid that at all cost.

"O…okay," she sniffed, and looked up at him. He repulsed her. "Could you…" she began carefully, "could you at least… _change_?"

An understanding grin appeared on his face. "Ahh… of course, if that pleases you. Go and have a shower in the mean time, I want every trace of Draco _gone_ by the time I get back."

And he left.

Sally took a quick shower. She was nervous, disgusted, and upset. She didn't know _how_ she was going to get through this. But she had to. She _had_ to, for Draco's sake!

A few moments later she found herself sitting on the floor in her bedroom, wearing just a robe. She closed her eyes, choked back her tears and tried to prepare herself. She had to pretend he was someone else, she decided. That was the only way. She could _not_ think about him as her father… She took deep breaths.

Eventually she felt herself calm down somewhat. Resigned to her fate, she got up off the floor and waited for him with bated breath, determined to do what she must to save Draco.

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When he came back, he was once again transformed into the younger and much better looking man he apparently once had been. He took her in his arms right away, and kissed her. This time, however, unlike on the previous occasion, she returned his kiss.

When he eventually pulled back from her, he grinned. "Hmm. _Better_."

He pushed her on the bed and pulled on the belt of her robe. It came apart. Sally closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He crawled on top of her, pushing himself up so as to have a better view of her. He smiled as he stared at her with a mixture of malice and lust. Then he kissed her again. Sally put her arms around his neck. She _had_ to make this believable, no matter _how_ she felt. So she carefully tried to take his clothes off.

He stopped her. "Uh-uh. _I _am calling the shots. You just work with me."

She realized he couldn't handle _not_ being in charge. And in this case, that suited her. "Fine."

He started kissing her neck, occasionally sniffing her. "I like the way you smell, Sally. It reminds me of… well… _me_!" He chuckled at the shocked look on her face.

His hands encircled her waist, as he took one of her nipples between his teeth. He pulled a little and looked at her mischievously. Then he bit her.

"Ow!" she yelled. He licked and sucked the sore nipple gently, soothing the pain, still grinning. She realized he hadn't bitten her that hard, it was more the shock as she hadn't expected it. But the way he was soothing it now, actually felt very good, and she moaned softly.

As she was enjoying the sensation, she suddenly felt his fingers roughly pushing inside her. Once again, not expecting this, she gasped. His thumb started moving around on her clit, sending little spasms of pleasure towards her brain. She sighed deep as she let herself sink into her pillows, a low groan escaping her lips. She could hear him laugh softly.

Then suddenly he stopped, pushed up to her face and stared at her, his face inches away from hers. "Having _fun_, sweetie?" he said, with a roguish smile. "You're _very_ wet! Are you enjoying what daddy is doing to you?"

She gasped. She'd been trying to forget who he was. Did he _have_ to remind her? He was making her feel ashamed and uncomfortable again. Then she realized that was probably his intention. He was enjoying her discomfort! She bit her lip, trying to look away, blushing. But she could still feel him staring at her, grinning maliciously.

Then he finally moved away, rolling onto his back. With a wave of his wand he removed his clothes, but he kept his wand close by.

"Turn around, Sally. I would like you to attend to _me_, now."

She sat on her knees.

"Not on your knees, lie down," he said. "I would like to… _play_… with _you_ a bit too."

She did as he told her, lay down, and started stroking and licking his cock.

"Ahhh, nice. Keep it up, keep it up!"

From the corner of her eyes she saw him picking up his wand and pointing it at her. Then that tickling feeling started again. She sighed. She knew what was coming. She could feel him playing around with her as she was sucking him. She ran her nails over his testicles, knowing that she had to do well, or at least, as well as she could. He shivered as her nails pressed into him. Then she bit him as gently as she could, quickly licking and sucking him afterwards to ease the pain. She could tell from his breathing that he was enjoying that. She did have to stop and catch her own breath every now and then, to deal with what he was doing to _her_. Then her breath would rush in and out of her fast, blowing over him while her nails ran up and down his length.

Eventually, he stopped her. "Enough! Turn back around now."

She turned, and he moved on top of her again, spreading her legs with his.

"Are you ready for daddy to take you?" he whispered, with great excitement in his voice.

Her eyes opened wide. She seemed to suddenly realize what was going to happen and tears started forming in her eyes. "No!" she whispered softly. "No, father, don't! Don't do it… not… not that! Please! Let's… let's finish it differently, _please_!"

"Daddy! Call me _daddy_ right now!"

"Please… _daddy_!" she begged him.

He grinned broadly at her. "Yes… daddy is coming, sweetheart!"

And he pushed himself inside her.

"Ahhhh, noooooooooooo!" she cried, and she arched her back and threw her head back. As she did that, he nibbled her exposed neck, breathing heavily.

The spell he had put on her, had been slower than before, but was starting to pick up speed now, and it caused her to wriggle and move with him, as he pushed in and out of her.

"Good girl, good girl!" he breathed. "Keep moving! Show daddy you care!"

Then suddenly, the spell made her reach her climax, and she felt all the muscles in her groin contract. She couldn't help crying out loud. The contraction of her muscles put him over the edge too, and he collapsed on top of her, temporarily speechless. He threw his arms around her and closed his eyes, still moving inside her, but slowly now. Her orgasm seemed to go on forever, slowly decreasing in strength.

Finally, she felt she could breathe again and moaned softly.

He chuckled, but was unable to hide the pleasure he'd been feeling.

"Sally," he whispered. "That _was_, indeed, worth my while!"

He pressed his lips on hers and kissed her, long and hard. Then he finally let go of her.

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He got up and got dressed as Sally curled up on her side of the bed, trying her hardest not to cry. He seemed ready to leave now, but before he did, he walked around to her side and crouched beside her, a smirk firmly plastered on his face.

"Tell me your greatest wish, Sally, and I will make it come true."

She didn't reply, nor did she open her eyes.

He started stroking her cheek. "_Anything_, my beautiful, sweet daughter. Anything at all. Just ask. I wish to make you happy."

She still didn't respond.

He stared at her for a little while. "You can think about it, and tell me later."

Then he got back up and left.


	48. Out on the Town

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks again for your review! And Hannah, thanks for putting me on your favorites list.**

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The next morning the house elf who brought Sally her breakfast, also brought her a message. She had another meeting right after lunch time, and she was to bring her traveling cloak. 'Yay, another trip,' she thought sarcastically. She didn't think she needed any more surprises, but she knew she had no option. At the time of the meeting, a house elf came to remind Sally of it.

"You er… you didn't bring me any lunch," Sally complained.

"No, Miss," said the elf. "Miss is not allowed to have lunch. So very sorry!" She bowed as she walked away.

Sally was puzzled. Now _what_, she thought to herself. But she got her cloak anyway, and walked over to his room. Once there, she was shocked to discover that he still looked the way he had done the night before. She was a little concerned, too. She hoped that didn't mean he was expecting a repeat performance! But apparently, he didn't. He put on his own traveling cloak and they left right away.

"Let's go," he said, with a mysterious smile.

"Where are we going, father?" Sally asked demurely, as they were walking through the house.

"You will see. But do not call me 'father' at the moment. Not whilst we are out amongst other people."

"Then what _do_ I call you?"

He thought for a moment. "Tom. Yes, call me Tom for now, until we're back. And if anybody has any questions, just let _me_ answer them."

"O… okay," Sally said.

They apparated once they got beyond the gate, and to Sally's surprise they arrived just in front of the Leaky Cauldron. He grinned at her. "I am taking you out. We will have lunch together."

Sally stared at him in shock. Was he _serious_? He was actually making an attempt to be _nice_?

"Obviously, I took the potion because I cannot have everyone recognize me. A few – older – people still may, but that does not matter much."

They went inside and walked up to the bar. Tom the barman gasped when he spotted Sally, and walked up to her right away. "Sally!" he exclaimed. "How are you? You're… you're still alive!"

Sally smiled at him. "Yes, I am."

Tom looked all around him. Sally followed his gaze, and noticed her 'wanted' sign had disappeared. He leaned over close to her, and whispered. "But how did you do it? How did you escape from You-Know-Who? I have to say, I thought you were a goner, when he dragged you out of here last Friday!"

"She did not escape," Voldemort said in a harsh tone, as he looked piercingly at Tom. "And we will have two butterbeers."

Tom seemed to only just notice him, and frowned. But he left to get the drinks anyway. When he came back, he put one in front of Voldemort, and one in front of Sally.

"Your boyfriend, Sally?" Tom said, indicating Voldemort.

Voldemort almost dropped his glass. Anger started to burn in his eyes. He didn't seem to like the fact that Tom was addressing _Sally_, rather than him, and he stared at him menacingly.

Sally shook her head. She was getting nervous. She was worried Voldemort was going to make a scene, as right now he looked like he was ready to _kill_ Tom.

"No, no," she stammered. "This… this is _Tom_. My, er… my _cousin_ Tom!"

Voldemort now turned towards _her_, and frowned. _Cousin_?

"And… and Tom, this is Tom the barman," she said to Voldemort, smiling, as she was trying to break the tension. "Same name, see?"

Tom the barman broke out in a smile. "Nice to meet you, Tom!" he said, and he held out his hand.

Voldemort ignored it. He was still staring at him, but seemed to have lost some of the fire that had been in his eyes before. It was a _good_ sign. Tom shrugged, apparently unaware of the danger he was in, and turned back to Sally.

"So, if you didn't escape, how come he didn't kill you? And you're back here?"

"Well, they er… they just let me go."

"_Let you go_? They let you go? But I thought you were wanted because you helped Potter with something?"

Voldemort had opened his mouth, probably to tell Tom to buzz off, but at his last words he closed it and was suddenly listening intently.

"Yeah, er… well," said Sally. "It wasn't anything too important. I was… I was lucky."

Tom's eyes opened wide. "Not _important_? How could it not have been important, when _he_ _himself_ came to get you?"

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Voldemort now said. He had obviously realized he wasn't going to hear anymore about Harry, and had had enough of the conversation.

Tom looked at him, shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

"Let's go," said Voldemort. "We are done here."

They went into the courtyard.

"What was that about Potter?"

She shrugged. "He asked me on Friday why people were looking for me, so I made something up."

He looked at her for a bit. Then he seemed to decide that that was a plausible explanation, and opened the gateway to Diagon Alley. They had walked along for just a little while, when there was a sudden outburst of screaming coming from a group of girls.

"Sally! Sally, where have you been!" screamed Mandy Brocklehurst.

It was a bunch of girls from her year in Ravenclaw. Mandy flew Sally around the neck and hugged her. "We've missed you so much! What happened?"

"I've… I've just been away for a bit. But I'm back now!" Sally said.

"Will you be back at Hogwarts tomorrow?" Lisa Turpin asked.

"Er…" said Sally.

She realized she didn't even know if she would be allowed to go back to Hogwarts.

"Yes, she will be," said Voldemort.

Startled by his reply, the girls turned around to face him. Like Tom before, they hadn't noticed him either. But _now_ they did, and they all smiled at him instantly.

"Oh, hello!" said Lisa. "Are you with Sally?"

"Yes," he said.

Lisa turned back to Sally. "Sally!" she said, giggling, while flicking her eyes back and forth between Sally and Voldemort. "You are _so_ lucky! You always get all the good-looking ones!"

Voldemort smirked. "Tom," he said, introducing himself. Then, chuckling, his eyes on Sally, "I am Sally's _cousin_."

He got an unexpected reaction as he said this. The girls were all gasping.

"Her _cousin_!" Mandy exclaimed. "_You're_ her famous cousin? Oh my goodness, we've heard so _much_ about you!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you now?"

"Yes! Yes, she was so upset when you left the country! She wouldn't even wear any of the stuff you bought for her anymore!"

He was clearly puzzled, Sally thought, but he wouldn't show it to the girls and played along. She was pretty sure he was using Legilimency on a few of them to find out more about this mysterious cousin, as well as to find out more about _her_. He was charming as he talked to them, and the girls were clearly falling for it.

"You don't look much like a Muggle, Tom," Mandy finally said while suppressing a little giggle. "How did you manage to get those wizard clothes?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you're a Muggle, aren't you?"

He stopped smiling. "I am _not_ a Muggle!" he said, in a harsh tone.

Obviously, there was no way he'd even want to _pretend_ to be a Muggle. Sally decided she had to come to the rescue. "No, I…I always _thought_ he was a Muggle. Turns out I was wrong!" she giggled.

Voldemort stared at her. He didn't look particularly happy.

"So, where did you go to school, Tom?" asked Lisa.

He turned towards her. "Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts!" she exclaimed. "Ohhhh, we're at Hogwarts too! Which house were you in?"

He smiled again. "Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" she said, turning to Sally. "Wow, Sally, you _do_ have something with Slytherin, don't you?" Then, turning back to Voldemort, "She always seems to fall for boys from Slytherin, you know."

"_Boys_?" he asked. "I thought there was only one? Draco Malfoy?"

She laughed. "Yeah, there was him of course. But also Blaise Zabini, who was her first boyfriend. They went out for quite a while!"

Voldemort now turned towards Sally and raised his eyebrows. "_Really_?"

Sally grinned sourly. She wished they would all shut up.

"You girls want to go out for lunch?" Voldemort asked.

The girls looked delighted.

"My treat, let's go."

"Ohhh, thank you so much, Tom!" Mandy said.

"No problem," he responded, and they started walking.

A little further on, an elderly man suddenly stood stock still as he saw Voldemort approach. His eyes opened wide in terror. "My Goodness!" he exclaimed. "No! No, it can't be!" He turned around on his heels and ran, as fast as his feet could carry him.

The girls all looked from the man to Voldemort. "What's up with that guy?" Lisa said, frowning.

Voldemort shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he thought I was someone else."

But as the girls were looking away, Sally saw him grinning. He was clearly pleased to get _some_ recognition, at last.

The meal turned out to be quite a success. Everyone was enjoying it, even Sally. It was good to be back with her friends, and her father seemed to be on his best behavior. Her friends all seemed to _love_ him, and were glued to his every word.

If only they _knew_, Sally thought to herself.

After the meal her friends were surrounding him, and Sally was lagging behind a bit, when suddenly a boy came up to her.

"Hello, gorgeous! Are you by yourself?"

A second later he was flying over the ground and smacked into a tree. Voldemort was facing him with his wand out.

"Wow!" said one of the girls in amazement. "That was fast!"

But a group of about 6 or 7 boys had seen it too, and walked over to Voldemort.

"That was my little brother," one of them said, as he drew his wand.

Voldemort smiled. His eyes were twinkling, as he saw the rest of them drawing their wands too. "_Really_. Well, in _that_ case," he said, twirling his wand between his fingers. "Maybe you should join him?"

A few seconds later _all_ of them were lying in a heap against the tree, unconscious. Voldemort dusted himself off, put his wand away and continued walking as if nothing had happened. The girls stared at him in awe. They were suitably impressed.

"You're _clearly_ not a Muggle," one of them said.

He laughed. "Please. Don't associate me with filth!"

A few eyebrows were raised.

"You, er…" Mandy said. "You're not a _Death Eater_, are you, Tom?"

He chuckled. "No, I am not," he said, resolutely. "I wouldn't want to be subservient to _anybody_." He paused for a moment. "Not that there is anything wrong with being a Death Eater," he added.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"So, are you a You-Know-Who supporter, then?"

"Of course," he grinned. "And you girls should be too!"

"Why?"

He answered her with a lecture on the evilness of Muggles and Muggle-borns, and the superiority of wizards. He managed to make it sound extremely convincing. Sally could see from the girls' faces that they were starting to come around to his way of thinking, and she was astounded by how easily he seemed to be able to persuade them! They didn't even notice the gaping holes in his arguments, and Sally, obviously, was not in a position to point them out.

Sally stared at him. He was in his element. The girls were clearly admiring him, and were _hanging_ on his words. It wasn't hard to see why! She had to admit he was very good-looking, and with his easy dialogue, he was exceptionally charming. Add to that the appeal of great power and he was practically irresistible!

"Well," he said, finally. "It's been great talking to you girls, but we really must go home now. "

"Do you live near Sally now, Tom?" Mandy said.

He grinned again. "We live in the same house at the moment."

There were some oohs and aahs, and Sally realized that they were envious of Sally living in the same house as him. She sighed. If only they knew! Still, it certainly had been a very pleasant afternoon. Much better than any she had had for a long time, so she really couldn't complain. She could _almost_ forgive him for what he had done to her.

But then, as she thought about that a little more, she scoffed. Merlin, what was wrong with her? Of course she couldn't forgive him! Was she mad? That would be ridiculous! She could _never_ forgive him! He was _evil_! More evil than anyone else in the world. More evil than anyone who had ever lived! Even just with all the things he had done to _her_, not to mention the things he'd done to others!

She swallowed, and said goodbye to her friends. "See you all tomorrow," she called out to them, as they disappeared.

Then she felt Voldemort's hand on her arm, followed by the familiar spinning sensation of apparition, and within seconds they were back at the Manor. As they were standing in front of the gate, he was smiling broadly at her.

"Did you enjoy that, Sally?"

She stared at him, unsmiling. Then she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess," she said, looking down at the floor.

He laughed, and put his arms around her. "Good! That was my intention." He looked smugly down at her now, and held her face. "Anything to make my girl happy!"

He pulled her face towards his, and briefly pressed his lips on hers. He stroked her hair for a few seconds and smelled it. Then he took her hand and guided her through the gate, the grounds and the house, until they were back at his room, where he pulled her inside with him.

"Well, Sally," he said. "You are going back to school soon. In fact, you may go now. Or… _later_." He smirked.

Sally looked puzzled. What did he mean? She could go now, or later? That was actually up to _her_? But then she realized with a shock that she didn't really _want_ to go just yet. She stared at him. It was like he was a different person! Somehow he seemed so much more likeable at the moment. Whereas without that potion, he was just… she shivered. Terrifying, murderous, evil, scary! But he _was_ the same person, with or without! Why did she not feel like he was? Why did she feel like… she swallowed. Why did she feel like… like she _wanted_ to spend just a little more time with him right now? Had she gone mad?

He noticed her hesitation, and it seemed to please him immensely. "Can't make up your mind?" he said, with a roguish grin. "Would you like me to… help you with it?"

"What?" she said, as she gave him a thoroughly confused look.

He pulled her towards him and kissed her. And to her own amazement, she felt herself responding.

----------

Sally went back to Hogwarts _later_. Just for one week until the Easter break. She was walking over the grounds towards Hogwarts, her mind one hopeless jumble of chaos and confusion. She didn't understand what was wrong with her, and why she was so obviously weak and impressionable. There was no doubt in her mind that what she had done was _wrong_. So very, very, very _wrong_! So why had she?

Whereas yesterday she had an excuse and could have told herself she didn't do it out of her own free will, today was clearly different. No excuse! She was having sex with her _father_, who was also a murderous and evil villain. But worse, much, much worse, she was doing it because she _wanted_ to! So what did that make _her_? _She_ must be evil too! She had reached Hogwarts and let herself fall against the wall. Her mind was racing, and 101 different thoughts were fighting for her attention.

What about Draco? She loved him, did she not? Yes, she did. She _did_ love him! But how was that possible? She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. Everything was so foggy. _Nothing_ was clear to her now. She felt disorientated and unbalanced. And she was also disgusted. Disgusted with _herself_, more than anything! She took a deep breath and decided to go in. maybe she just needed time. Time to process all that had happened to her over the past year. She would use the coming week to try and figure everything out and organize her thoughts. Somehow, she _had_ to be able to make sense of it…


	49. Easter

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: It took a little longer this time, since I wasn't very happy with the original chapter. I did a lot of editing, which is why this chapter is a day later than usual. Sorry about that.**

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Sally was besieged by her school friends when she got back to her common room. The girls she had been out with the day before were raving about her 'cousin', and were telling everybody who was willing to listen about him. There was no doubt he'd made an impression.

Funny enough, Sally thought to herself, he had actually made an impression on Sally too. And that while _she_ had known his true identity!

As the week went by, Sally was sobering up somewhat. She vowed to be stronger in future. She should _never_ have done what she did, and it was absolutely _not_ going to happen again. Of course he could rape her, and there wouldn't be anything she could do about that, but she would _not_ give in voluntarily anymore.

She secretly wondered if maybe she had been given a love-potion. In fact, she _hoped_ that that had been the case. But she knew the effects of a love potion to be quite different; it was almost like the Imperius Curse, and she was pretty sure she would be able to fight it if ever she took one. What had happened that Sunday had been _nothing_ like that, and it was bothering her tremendously. She must have been suffering from temporary insanity! However, she was pretty convinced that she would not let it happen again, _ever_.

There had been a lot of questions as to where she had been the last few months. Most of the kids also knew that there had been a search for her, and that Voldemort himself had eventually dragged her out of the Leaky Cauldron. Sally told everyone that she had been hiding, but that aside from that she wasn't allowed to speak of it. Since Voldemort himself had been involved, most people readily accepted that answer and didn't press the issue.

During their meeting that week, the members of the D.A. were a little more forward. They seemed more desperate to know what had happened than the others had been. Sally had told them that she had helped Harry and Hermione escape at some point, and that she had gotten into _big, big _trouble for that, which is why she had run away. But there was _no way_, she said, that she could tell any of them what had happened after she had been captured the previous weekend.

They seemed concerned about her, and wanted to know how she had come to be in a situation to be able to help Harry and Hermione in the first place.

"Pure coincidence," Sally had responded. And that's all she would say about it. She had told them she was lucky to be alive, but from the expressions on their faces, she knew they were wondering why she still _was_.

Draco was not in school that week. Sally was not surprised about that. She wondered how long Voldemort intended to keep him away from her…

----------

The next Friday Professor Snape came to get her, and took her to the Manor via side-along apparition. He left her as soon as she was inside the Manor's gate, presumably to go back to Hogwarts. Sally wasn't able to get out by herself, the gate wouldn't let her out, so she had nowhere to go but in.

Once in her room, she wondered what was going to happen. She'd be here for a full week this time, since it was Easter break and there was no school. But she didn't _really_ want to think about it, and figured she would just deal with things as they happened.

But nothing happened that night. Nor the next day. On Saturday night she spent quite a long time stroking Nagini, and she decided to ask her if her father had been in at all. She thought he must be out, or else she would have heard from him. But Nagini told her that her father had been _in_ most of the time, which puzzled Sally.

The next morning Nagini slithered into Sally's room and told her that her father had said she could go see him anytime she wanted to.

Sally looked up at the snake in shock. "What? What…what did you tell him?"

"That you wondered where he wasssss, and why he hadn't come to sssssee you," Nagini replied.

Sally was highly embarrassed now. It must seem to him that she couldn't _wait_ to see him again! Ughhhh... not quite what she had intended! Well, 'anytime,' he had said. It would be _no_ time then! She wasn't going.

So Sally stayed in her room for the rest of the day. Then finally, much later, the house elf who brought her dinner told her she had to go see him afterwards. This time, it was no longer an option.

"Hello, Sally," he said with a smirk when she entered his room.

"Hello, father," she replied, staring at the floor.

He walked over to her and put a finger under her chin. "Sally," he called, and made her look up. He raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"

"What?" she asked, blushing lightly.

He noticed immediately, and chuckled. "You are blushing, Sally!"

She groaned inwardly. This was not at _all_ going to plan. She cast a quick glance up at him, but didn't respond.

He looked at her intently, clearly amused. "Nagini tells me you… _missed_ me?"

Now she turned an even deeper shade of red. 'Blast,' she thought. Trust _him_ to find the exact things to say that would embarrass her the most!

"I've been a little busy. But if you wish, I will come and visit you later," he said.

She looked up at him with a shock. "_No! _No, that's… that's okay. You don't… you don't have to…"

He laughed at her. "Of course I don't _have_ to. I don't _have_ to do anything!" He touched her cheek. "But I _want_ to, Sally," he whispered in her ear.

Sally took a step back. She was trembling again. "But… I… don't… want… to," she stammered.

He didn't flinch, but continued to smirk at her. He stepped forward with her, brushed his hands through her hair, and then let it flow through his fingers, looking at it with interest. Finally, he looked up at her and said, "You may go now, sweetheart. I shall see you later tonight."

"But… but… I… I don't…"

"_Goodbye, Sally_," he said, now in a strict tone of voice.

She stared at him. She knew he wouldn't listen to her anymore, so she turned and walked out.

----------

That night, she anxiously wondered if he was going to turn up at all. He'd said he would, but he didn't exactly always did what he said. Maybe she'd get lucky! It certainly seemed that way. She stayed awake until midnight, then went to sleep.

However, at some point that night, she woke as she felt a light touch at her side. She felt a bit chilly too, and opened her eyes a little. Her covers were off. She looked sideways without opening her eyes all the way or moving her head, and there he was, once again in his 'Cousin Tom' disguise. He'd got into bed next to her and had taken off her covers. He was now looking her up and down. Then he looked up into her face. She wondered if he knew that she was awake. She was trying not to show. He didn't seem to notice, she thought.

He bent over her and smelled her hair, then he moved to her ear and whispered, "I know you're awake."

Her eyes flew open. She guessed it was impossible to hide from him. He grinned, and kissed her. This time, though, she didn't return it. He pulled back from her, and leaned on his arms next to her head. He gave her a sarcastic smile and sighed.

"Alright, what is it?" he said in a tiresome tone.

"I don't want to do this!"

"Why not?" he asked with a bored look on his face.

She pushed herself up and away from him. "Well, for starters, you're my _father_!"

"Yeah, yeah. We discussed that already. Anything else?"

She got annoyed. He was handling this as if she was a child who had to be explained the same thing over and over again, and was wasting his time.

"Yes," she said, louder now. "You're a murderer!"

_Now_ she got his attention. "Excuse me?"

"You kill people."

"Yes, my _enemies_!"

"Yes, and those who just happen to get in your way!"

He scoffed. "Well, they should not be getting in my way, should they?"

She looked at him acidly. "You're evil."

He gave a derisive laugh. "I've heard _that_ before too. Usually people do not live long when I hear them say that. You should count yourself lucky."

"There, see. That's what I mean!"

He shrugged and turned onto his back. "The end justifies the means. Besides, I need people to respect me." He turned towards her. "And that includes _you_!"

It was Sally's turn to scoff. "They _don't_ respect you. They _fear_ you, you _terrify_ them! That's a different thing altogether!"

With razor-sharp reflexes he turned back over her and pushed her down. He had a murderous look in his eyes. "_You're going too far, Sally_," he hissed. "I will_ not_ put up with such _insolence_, not even from _you!"_

Sally bit her lip. He stared menacingly at her for a few moments, gritting his teeth. Then he seemed to relax a little.

"Anyway, enough of this _nonsense_. Do you _want_ to have some fun, or not?"

"_No_!"

"_Fine_. But _I_ do! So…" He grinned evilly and lay back down on his back. He roughly grabbed her and pushed her down on him. "_Suck me_," he commanded her.

Sally wanted to protest, but the look he gave her made her courage disappear like snow for the sun. It gave her a chill, and she did as she was told. He disappeared very quickly afterwards, leaving Sally feeling horrible again. 'Bastard,' she thought, as she fell back asleep.

For the next few days he was out. Nagini told her so. Apparently, he was on some sort of secret mission. Sally was bored, and with a slight pang, she thought about how she used to be a part of those missions. He clearly didn't trust her anymore, after that episode with Harry and Hermione. 'Well. But that's hardly surprising,' she chuckled grimly to herself.

At least she had some peace and quiet that way, she thought. But she felt… _odd_. It was hard to describe. Was it… _hurt_? It was almost like… like she was disappointed that he was disappointed in her. But that didn't make any sense! Why would she _possibly_ feel that way? She should be feeling anger instead. And _relief_, that he was leaving her alone! She sighed. She didn't feel what she should be feeling, and it was confusing her to no end…

----------

Then one night during the Easter break, as she was walking through the hallways, she heard a terrible scream. It sounded like someone was being tortured. And she thought she recognized the voice, too! She ran towards the source of the sound, and stormed into the room where it was coming from. There were five people in the room. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix, a strange man who resembled an animal, and… _Hermione_, who was being tortured by Bellatrix!

"Stop!" Sally yelled, as she drew her wand.

Bellatrix scoffed, and ignored her. But then her wand flew out of her hand towards Sally, who caught it neatly, and the spell on Hermione ceased.

Bellatrix looked at her maliciously. "Not _again_, Sally? Haven't you learned your lesson yet? _Give me back my wand_!"

Sally looked at the wand in her hand. She had to be careful. She did _not_ want to go through what she had before. She tossed the wand back to Bellatrix, but went to stand in front of Hermione.

"Get out of my way, Sally," Bellatrix said. "I have a job to do, and you're disrupting it!"

"_No_," said Sally. "Tell me what this is about, first."

"That is not your business. So get out of my way, or I'll use the spell on _you_, first."

Sally took a deep breath. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

A grim smile appeared on Bellatrix's face. "And why not, pray tell?"

"You think your master would be happy to hear that you have tortured me without his permission?"

"He let me do it before."

"Yes, but that was after _he_ told you to do so! You had his permission then. You don't, now!"

"And you think he would be happy with _you_, if he finds out you've prevented me from doing my job?"

"I'm _not_ preventing you from doing your job! I want to _help_! What do you need from Hermione?"

Bellatrix scoffed. "_Help_? _You_? You're on their side! You don't want to help _us_, you want to help _them_!"

Sally thought she detected a hint of fear in Bellatrix's voice. She stared into her eyes, and found very quickly what was going on. The sword! She looked behind Bellatrix, and saw Gryffindor's sword lying on the floor.

"Isn't that Gryffindor's sword?" she asked Bellatrix. "Isn't that supposed to be in your vault?"

Bellatrix stared at her with alarm now.

"I can help," said Sally. "I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake I made last time. You _know_ he will kill me if I do! And you have nothing to lose by letting _me_ try first. If I can't figure out what you want to know, you can try yourself."

Bellatrix paused for a moment as she studied Sally suspiciously. Finally, with her eyes narrowed, she said, "I need to know how she got the sword."

"Give me the sword," said Sally.

"Give her the sword, Greyback," Bellatrix barked at the animal-like man. He handed her the sword.

"I'll be back," Sally said casually, turning towards Hermione.

Bellatrix's head jerked up sharply towards Sally. "Exactly_ where _do you think you are going?" she snapped. "You are _not_ taking her away from here!"

"I can't. I can't leave here, didn't you know? I just need to talk to her by myself!"

Bellatrix looked at Sally suspiciously again, but made no move to stop her.

Sally bent over Hermione. "Can you walk?" she asked her, extending her hand.

"I… I think so," Hermione said, as she took Sally's hand and crawled onto her feet.

Sally took Hermione and the sword out into the hallway, and walked her to her room.

"Sally," Hermione began. "Thank you so much! That is the second time!"

Sally shook her head sadly. "It's… it's _not_. I... I really can't help you much this time. You have no idea what I had to go through before. I can't risk it again! Besides, I have no way of getting out of here myself."

Hermione looked at her, with a soft expression on her face. "How come he didn't kill you after what you did last time, Sally?"

Sally snorted. "Believe me, Hermione, at the time, I would have _much_ preferred that! It would have been a relief!"

Hermione looked horrified.

"Anyway," said Sally. "Where did you get the sword?"

Sally looked in Hermione's eyes as she said that. Hermione didn't answer right away, giving Sally plenty of time to perform a decent amount of Legilimency on her.

But what she saw shocked her _so_ much, that she had to concentrate with all her might on _not_ showing Hermione her surprise.

"It is a fake," lied Hermione.

Sally kept staring at her. She knew Hermione was lying. But this gave her the chance to see even more. And she leafed through as many of Hermione's memories as she could, before responding to Hermione's answer.

She held the sword. "Is it? But it looks pretty real to me!"

"It's a really _good_ fake," Hermione said.

Sally stared at her again. She read more memories. She thought she had seen enough now. She knew just about _everything_ she needed to know, and more. "I don't think it's a fake. But I don't think it comes out of Bellatrix's vault, either, which is what she is worried about."

Hermione smiled at her. "You're right. I guess I should trust you, after what you have done for us. It _is_ real, but I can't tell you how we got it. We didn't take it from Bellatrix's vault, though."

"So that means that the one in Bellatrix's fault is fake," Sally concluded.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"Alright. So I can tell Bellatrix _this_ is a fake! It doesn't really matter, as long as she knows no one has been in her vault."

Hermione's face went dark. "Sally," she pleaded. "You _have_ to help us! They were about to call You-Know-Who, they only didn't because of the sword! If you tell her that no one's broken into her fault, she will call him, and he will kill us!"

"_Us_?" replied Sally.

"Harry, Ron and me."

"_Harry_ is here?" gasped Sally.

"Yes," said Hermione. "Draco was taking them to the cellar when you turned up. There are a few others, too. Dean Thomas, and a goblin called Griphook."

Sally's eyes went wide. She started trembling a little. "W…Well then," she stammered. "Let's go and take a look in the cellar!"

She and Hermione went down to the cellar. Sally opened the door, and found a bunch of people inside. She and Hermione stepped through the door opening and Sally closed the door behind her.

"Sally!" gasped all of them.

"Hermione!" exclaimed Ron, as he hugged her tight. "You're alright!"

"Thanks to Sally," said Hermione.

"_Again?"_ said Harry, as he stared at Sally with a smile on his face. "Wow. Thanks, Sally!"

Sally smiled and stared back at him, immediately reading his memories. She had to read. She needed to know everything! This was _way_ too important!

"But I… I already told Hermione," said Sally, not taking her eyes off of Harry. "I can't really do much for you this time. I got in a _lot_ of trouble before! She swallowed. I don't think I could handle more of the punishment I received _then_. I'd rather be dead!"

Harry walked up closer to Sally. He was still staring into her eyes. Sally had been able to read a lot of his memories, and it was all starting to make sense to her now. But she continued reading. Harry frowned.

"But why are you here, Sally? What are you doing in Voldemort's lair? How come you were there when he found us in Spinner's End? And why were you helping him find Gregorovitch?"

"What?" said Sally, as she shook her head in astonishment. "How do you know about _that_?"

"Never mind," said Harry.

But Sally had already seen the answer to her question in his mind, and was now even more shocked. She kept staring, kept reading. "He was… he was training me. But not anymore. Not since Spinner's End. I have a different…" She swallowed hard, as she thought about what had been happening to her since. "I have a different role now."

"But _why_ was he training you?" Harry shook his head. "And why did you even _want_ to be trained?"

She scoffed. "I _didn't_ want to be trained! I had no option! I met him by coincidence at the end of the summer, and that was the role he gave me. I never wanted to be involved, but I had to!" She paused, and looked down for a moment. She had obtained a huge amount of information from Harry's memories; she could take a little break from it now. "He killed my father, you know."

Everyone gasped.

Sally smiled bitterly. "Well it's not as if I was _that_ attached to him though! He wasn't very nice. But still. Voldemort killed my old life when he killed my father, I can never go back again."

"But you're a Muggle-born! Why did he want _you_?"

"Well, apparently I'm not a completely true Muggle-born. I have since discovered that there _is_ magic in my family after all. Most of them have been dead for a while, though. That is… except for one." She was looking at Harry again, who stared intently back at her. "A… a cousin," she added as an afterthought. "My grandmother was a witch."

She paused for a second. "I have no idea why You-Know-Who wanted to train me. But it's not exactly easy to refuse him, is it? I couldn't!"

Harry gulped, and Sally detected a hint of sympathy on his face. "So," he said finally. "What is your _new_ role now then, Sally?"

Sally shook her head, her face betraying the horror she felt. She bit her lip. "I don't want to talk about that. I tried to run away, I lived as a Muggle for two months, but then I got caught again. I'm stuck, now, I can't get out."

"Then come with us!" Harry exclaimed.

She shook her head. "I can't. There'll be consequences if I leave. I _must_ stay!" Then she thought for a moment. "But what do you mean, come with us? How are you going to get out of here?"

Harry smiled. "I think we have found a way."

Sally looked surprised, but pleased. "That's great! But, er… what do _I _do? I don't want to be involved. He'll do worse than kill me if he thinks I have had anything to do with you escaping again!"

"Just bring Hermione back," Harry said. "Then get out of the way. It'll be obvious that you didn't have anything to do with it. We're going to…"

"_Don't tell me,_" said Sally. "I don't want to know! The less I know about it, the better!"

Harry smiled. "You're right. It's best that you don't know a thing! However, we _do_ need a little delay when you bring Hermione back up, we don't want them to call Voldemort immediately."

Sally thought for a second. "I think I can handle that. It'll only be for a little while, though!" She stared at the Goblin for a moment. "Do you think you can convince him to lie about whether the sword is real or not?"

Harry frowned. "I… I guess," he mumbled.

Sally smiled. "Alright then. Let's go, Hermione!"

Hermione and Sally started walking out the door.

"Sally," called Harry, just before they left. "Thanks again!"

Sally grinned broadly. "You're welcome!" Then she left the cellar and locked the door behind her.

"Yes, thanks, Sally," said Hermione a little more cheerfully, as they were walking back upstairs.

"No problem." Sally responded.

Once they were back up, Sally informed Bellatrix she believed that the sword was a fake, although she wasn't 100% sure. "Hermione told me it's a fake, and I believe her, but you never know."

Bellatrix frowned. "Then _how_ can we be sure? This is of _crucial_ importance!"

Sally shrugged. "You'd need a goblin, to be _absolutely_ sure. Anyway, I'm going back to my room. Good luck finding out!"

And with that, she walked out the door and back to her room, where she sat down and waited. A lot happened after that, but Sally didn't hear any of it, since her room was sound-proof. She _was_ curious, though, and at some point she opened her door a little. She heard screaming, but it wasn't Harry's, or any of the others. She could make out Voldemort's voice, and he sounded extremely angry. Sally carefully closed the door again. She knew she should not interfere right now, as it seemed that they had once again escaped successfully.


	50. Disclosure

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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When the house elf brought her breakfast the next morning, Sally told the elf to arrange a meeting with her father. When the elf came back, she was told she could go see him right away.

"Sally," he said, as she entered the room. He didn't look happy. "What is it? I am busy, I do not have much time for you right now."

Sally smiled broadly. "I think you may want to _make_ some time for this, father."

He stared at her, his eyes narrowed. She had his attention.

"I spoke to Hermione Granger and Harry Potter last night, father," she began.

"_What?_" He took a step towards her and gave her such a piercing stare, that it caused a chill to run through Sally's body. "You did not have… anything… to do with their _escape_, did you?" he snarled, his tone soft but intimidating.

Sally quickly shook her head. "No," she said, a little concerned because of the menacing look on his face. "No, that had nothing to do with me! I swear!"

"Alright. Go on," he said, the threatening tone in his voice undiminished.

"Well," she said nervously. "Aren't you wondering why Bellatrix didn't call you right away, when they brought in Harry and his friends?"

He frowned. "Yes. So… _tell me_. Why?"

"Because they had a sword with them. Gryffindor's sword!"

"_What?_"

Sally smiled cautiously. "And… and Bellatrix was worried they had stolen it from her vault. They didn't, though," she added hastily, as she saw the murderous look in his eyes.

He breathed a little easier. "And _how_ do you know this?"

She smiled proudly. "Legilimency. I heard Hermione screaming when Bellatrix was torturing her, so I came in. I talked Bellatrix into letting me talk to Hermione to find out how she got the sword. I did Legilimency on Bellatrix to find out _why_ she wanted to know. I asked Hermione how she got it, and she told me it was a fake. I know it _wasn't_ a fake, since I did Legilimency on her, too! But I also found out that she didn't get it out of Bellatrix's vault, since _that_ one, apparently, _is_ a fake! I told Bellatrix that Hermione had said that the sword was a fake, but not until _after_ I had gone into the cellar and spoken to Harry. Then I went back to my room. I had _nothing_ to do with _anything_ that happened _after_ that!"

He looked at her suspiciously. "So, how _did_ they get the sword?"

"I don't know. I saw in Hermione's memories that Harry and Ron just turned up with it one day. But I _do_ know what they needed it for!"

"What did they need it for?"

Sally swallowed. "Before I tell you that, I have to tell you something else."

He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Alright. Continue."

"It's…it's Harry. Apparently, he can read your mind." She paused a second as he frowned, but indicated for her to continue. "When you… when you get highly emotional, like very angry or very happy, he dreams that he is you. And then he can see everything! Everything that you see, and also… what you think!"

"He still has that connection?"

Now it was Sally's turn to look puzzled. He was aware of this?

Voldemort waved his hand. "I shall have to be more careful," he said, more to himself than to Sally. Then, back to her, "Yes, I _am_ aware of that, I didn't realize it was still going on, though. Whatever. What did they need the sword for?"

"Er… well that's the thing. It'll make you angry. And then Harry will be able to see me telling you this. He'll know that you know, and that I was the one telling you!"

Voldemort raised his eyebrows. "Will it, now?" Then he thought for a second. "Now that I _know_, I should be able to control it. But just in case, cast a disillusionment charm first."

He was twirling his wand in his hands. Sally frowned. Was he _nervous_? Was that even possible? She cast a disillusionment charm and disappeared.

"Well?" Voldemort said.

"They were using it to destroy a Horcrux," Sally said. "A… a locket."

His eyes opened wide. Shock and fear appeared on his face. "_**WHAT?**_" he shouted at her, and she could almost see the rage bubbling up inside him.

But then she saw something else. Like he was fighting something. Like he was fighting something with great difficulty.

"_OUT!_" he screamed at her, and turned around. "_OUT!_" he screamed again as his back was facing her.

Sally quickly got out, and as she closed the door behind her, she saw him drop into a chair, with his head into his hands.

----------

At that moment, Harry had the strangest sensation. His scar hurt badly again, but when he entered Voldemort's mind, there was nothing. Everything was black, as if his eyes were closed. There were no thoughts, either. But he _did_ feel emotion! A _lot_ of emotion, in fact. A combination of anger, fear and shock. But it didn't last as long as normal, and before he knew it, he was back and his scar had stopped hurting. Harry was puzzled, but didn't pay too much attention to it. He had other, more important things to worry about right now.

----------

When Sally got back to her room, she was getting worried. Was she doing the right thing? Should she have told him? She was messing up Harry's plans! But then, Harry _was_ trying to kill her father. But didn't he deserve to be killed? She sighed. She wasn't sure anymore. She wasn't sure at all! She didn't want her father to kill Harry, but she didn't want Harry to kill her father either! But was that even possible? Could they both survive?

And, she _hated_ her father, didn't she? Why was she helping him?

Anyway, she'd already set foot on the path she was now following, and she knew she had no option but to continue to follow it and wait to see where it would take her. She waited patiently in her room. She knew she would be called back soon. And sure enough, a little while later an elf came to tell her to go back to his room.

He had an eager look in his eyes when Sally came back in. "Now. Tell me more!"

"Is… is it safe?"

"Yes. I've prepared myself. So continue."

"Okay," said Sally. "They are chasing Horcruxes."

"Who are 'they'?"

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

He gritted his teeth. "And how do they know about my Horcruxes?"

"Dumbledore told Harry before he died last year."

Voldemort bit his lip. "I thought so," he mumbled. "Did they find any more?"

"They know there are six. A diary, which was destroyed several years ago by Harry. A ring, which was destroyed by Dumbledore last year."

Voldemort started breathing a little faster. "He destroyed my ring?"

Sally nodded.

"Anymore? Continue."

"They don't have anything else. They are looking for the others. They know that there is still Helga Hufflepuff's cup. And… Nagini," she took a deep breath, as she knew this meant that her friend was in danger. "And… something else. They don't know what _that_ one is, but suspect it used to belong to one of the Hogwarts' founders."

He nodded. "Alright. Alright, I know what to do now. It'll be alright, I still have three."

He turned to face her. "You are going to help me Sally. But not a _word_ about this, to anybody! Understand?"

Sally nodded.

"You have done well. I am proud of you. Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"Just… just about the Hallows."

"The _what_?"

"The Deathly Hallows."

"What are _they_?"

"Apparently, 'they' are three items. A wand, a stone and a cloak. Each of them has 'special' properties. All three of them together make the owner the 'Master of Death'."

He seemed to be thinking on this for a moment. "And what are those 'special' properties?"

"The wand, apparently, is unbeatable. It is known as the 'Elder wand', or the 'Deathstick'."

Voldemort looked intently at her now. "Do they know where it is?"

"No. But Harry knows _you_ are searching for it at the moment."

He stared at her in awe. "Yes. Yes, I _am_! And I am going to find it too. Soon! But what about the other two items?"

"Harry has one. He inherited it from his father; the cloak. It's the perfect invisibility cloak!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes. Yes, I know he has such a cloak. I didn't realize it was _that_ special, though. And the third?"

"The resurrection stone. With it, you can call people back from the dead."

He frowned. "And do they know where _that_ is?"

"They know where it _was_. Apparently, it used to belong to a 'Marvolo Gaunt'." She looked intently at him.

He looked up sharply, then shook his head, as if he could not believe what he was hearing. "My grandfather," he whispered, as he looked up at her.

"Yes," Sally said. "It was set into a ring."

"A ring!" he exclaimed. "My Horcrux! The one Dumbledore destroyed! What did he do with it after he destroyed it?"

She shrugged. "They don't know for sure. Harry seems to think Dumbledore gave it to _him_, concealed in a snitch. But he can't open the snitch to check."

"How do those three items together make you 'Master of Death'?"

She shrugged again. "They don't know that either. But there is a sign, a sign that indicates the Hallows. It looks like this…" She conjured a piece of parchment and drew an equilateral triangle with a corner at the top. "For the cloak," she said. Then she drew a line through the triangle, bisecting the top corner. "For the wand." Then she drew a circle around the whole thing. "For the stone," she finished.

Voldemort picked up the piece of paper and stared at it. "The sign on the ring," he whispered. When he finished staring at the parchment, he looked back at Sally. "Anything else?"

Sally thought for a moment. "No. That was all."

He stared at the wall beyond her for a little while. Then he turned back to her. "Do you know what a Horcrux _is_, Sally?"

She shrugged. "Only from what I saw in Hermione's memory. I had never heard of it before. It's a piece of your soul, or something, right?"

"Yes. But there is a lot more to it. I am going to have to explain it all to you, if you are to help me." He laughed softly. "I guess we _will_ be continuing our lessons again, after all!"

He looked at her, but his expression was gentle. Caring, even. "Thank you, Sally. I owe you for this."

Sally smiled.

"Take a break," he said. "Go and have some lunch first. Then come back here in about an hour or so. We will start then. I need to instruct you and we need to plan some things. There is not much time, and we have a _lot_ to do. We need to be done by the time you go back to school tomorrow."

That afternoon, Sally learned all about Horcruxes. Her head was spinning by the end of it; she couldn't believe some of the things she had learned! And even less that her father had made _six_ of those gruesome things! But she was being good, and carefully paid attention.

After dinner he told her about the _plan_, and _her_ role in it. She was amazed about the level of cunning and detail he put into his plans! He left barely _anything_ to chance. But _one_ thing was very clear to her. He _trusted_ her now. He trusted her completely, and a lot of the plan was in _her_ hands. She could make it, or _break_ it!

Finally, early in the evening, it seemed that they had gone over everything. She knew what to do, what was expected of her. And she was pretty confident that she was capable. So she finally decided to speak to him about _her_ 'requirements'.

He was just about ready to dismiss her, when she spoke. "Father," she began.

"Yes, Sally?"

"You know… you know when you told me that I could make a wish and you'd make it come true?"

He laughed. "Yes, I remember. If it is at all possible, yes. What is it?"

She took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how he would take this. "Well, I… I would… I'd really want for you to… to act as my… as my father."

He frowned. He was clearly puzzled.

"I mean," she continued, biting her lip. "I mean as _just_ my father, nothing else!"

He stared at her intently.

"No more sex," she blurted out.

He scoffed. "No more… _what_?" he said, as he shook his head. "_No_."

She blinked. "But that's… that's what I really, really want!"

He stared at her. "I granted you that wish, because of what _happened_ that night. And now you are telling me that your wish is for that never to happen again?"

She cast her eyes downwards. "Yes. Please, father!"

"Did you not enjoy it?"

She didn't answer that. "It was wrong," she said simply.

"You didn't exactly seemed to have that opinion the day after, did you?"

She blushed scarlet now. "I… I just… I just made a mistake, that day," she stammered.

He laughed, as his eyes were piercing hers. "Right..." He leaned over to her. "You were… _wild_, that day, Sally," he whispered, with a smirk on his face.

She was blushing even more now, and briefly tried to hide her face in her hands. "Alright… alright! Maybe I was. But I was _wrong_! _It_ was wrong! And I don't, ever, ever, _ever_, want to do that again! Not with _you_, not with my… my _father_!"

He folded his arms and stared at her. He didn't say a word for several minutes. "Fine," he said, finally.

She looked up at him, surprise etched on her face. "Fine?" she repeated. "Did you say 'fine'?"

He smiled at her. "Yes. That is what I said."

She stared at him for a moment. Then she flew him around his neck. "Thank you! Thank you _so much_, father!" she exclaimed happily.

He was clearly thrown by her sudden display of affection. "Yes, well. Do not push it. I am not exactly _happy_ about it!"

She quickly let go of him, but couldn't hide her gleeful expression.

"You may go. I shall see you in the morning, after breakfast.

"Thank you, father," she said again, and rushed out the door.

Sally skipped back to her room. She no longer had to worry, ever again! Maybe eventually he would even let her see Draco again! She was happier than she had been in a _long_ time.

The elf that brought her breakfast the next day, informed her that her meeting was delayed, since apparently her father had come back from a trip late that night.

They met after lunch that day and went over the plan again. But at some point Sally noticed that there was something different about his wand. "That's not your wand, is it, father?"

He grinned. "Well observed, Sally. You are right, of course." He put it in her hands. "What do you think it is?"

She gazed up at him. "Is it… is it…" She didn't have to ask him anymore. The twinkle in his eyes told her enough. "It's the _Elder Wand_, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it is, Sally!" He took it back and stared at it. "Now, I am _truly_ unbeatable!"

Sally looked at it in awe. "Who had it?"

He turned towards her and smirked. "Dumbledore."

Her eyes opened wide. "Dumbledore!" she exclaimed. "But… but he is…"

"Dead, yes. He was buried with it. I took it from his grave."

Sally recoiled. "Eww!"

He laughed at her. "Well. It is not like he has any use for it anymore, is it?"

Sally looked disgusted.

"Anyway. Back to the plan. You are going back to school tonight, and you must not forget _anything_! Do you understand?"

"Yes, father." Once again she recounted all the things that she was expected to do. She didn't leave anything out, and he seemed pleased.

"You will not be coming back here."

That comment shocked her. "What?"

"You will be staying at Hogwarts for the rest of the school year now. It is better that way."

She stared at him. Yes, she understood what he meant, it would be less suspicious. Some people knew where she was going on the weekends, and the less she was associated with Voldemort now, the better.

"Yes, father."

"Then you may go."

She smiled. "Thank you, father."

He smiled back at her. "Goodbye, Sally."

And so she left, feeling surprisingly elated, considering what she had done; she had disclosed Harry and Hermione's secrets to their worst enemy…


	51. The Battle of Hogwarts

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was back at Hogwarts. She wasn't unhappy, even though she sometimes had the nagging feeling that she may not be doing the right thing. She tried not to think about it too much. She really hadn't done that much anyway. She had a task, yes, but most of it did not need to be done for a while. In fact, it was very likely that she would never need to execute any of it at all!

Aside from, of course, one small thing that she had already done. But somehow that didn't seem so significant. After all, she wasn't hurting anybody, was she?

She didn't talk to Draco anymore. They were carefully avoiding each other, even though she sometimes caught him staring at her. He would quickly look away when she noticed. But then, _she_ was doing the same thing, she couldn't help staring at _him_ sometimes either. She was thinking about him a lot. She was hoping that one day they would get back together.

It _should_ be possible, as, since she no longer had that kind of relationship with her father, he couldn't _keep_ objecting to her being with Draco. She hadn't brought up the subject with him at the time, since she was happy enough for the time being with his promise that he would leave her alone. She didn't want to push it. But she would certainly bring it up the next time she saw him! Until then, it would be safer to stay out of Draco's way, mainly for _his_ protection. So for now, she just made do by coveting him from a distance…

She was still attending the D.A. meetings, and she was still enjoying them. She was getting better and better, too! She was the undisputed dueling champion of the D.A. In addition, she was excelling in all her coursework. She was working very hard, and also spent _huge_ amounts of time in the restricted section of the library, to which she had, thanks to Snape (but really, of course, her father), unlimited access. She was investigating other types of magic there, the kind that she wouldn't learn in the classroom. Of course, she had a lot more spare time now that she was also spending her weekends at Hogwarts. And she used it wisely.

Furthermore, the Carrows had become stricter and meaner. Obviously, they left Sally alone, but everyone else was suffering. Quite a few people were now hiding out in the D.A. room permanently, Neville Longbottom included. Some of them were a _real_ mess. She would have talked to her father about letting up a bit on the students, but she was no longer in contact with him, so she couldn't. She had tried to talk to the Carrows, but they refused to pay attention to anything she had to say to them.

Sally was surprised people didn't think it was odd that the Carrows never punished Sally, but they seemed to think that the Carrows must be afraid of what she could possibly do to them, as Sally's powers were no secret. The fact that Alecto would sometimes start to tremble when Sally was near her, seemed to confirm that sentiment.

More and more people were moving into the D.A. room. A passage to the Hog's Head had opened up in the wall, where people were getting food, provided by Aberforth Dumbledore, who was the barman there.

During their D.A. sessions, they were now also regularly listening to 'Potterwatch', on the wizarding wireless that was present in the room. Sally didn't like listening to Potterwatch, and tried to tune it out as much as she could. She didn't like to be reminded of all the atrocities and murders that were happening everywhere; it made her feel unsure about the path she had chosen. She was still worrying that she was doing the wrong thing.

Then one day, there was an absolutely sensational story on Potterwatch. Apparently, Harry and his friends had broken into a Gringott's vault, and escaped from there on the back of a dragon. Sally's eyes went wide, as she listened to the story. She knew what this was about, better than anyone else who was listening to the story with her. She knew, even before they mentioned it on Potterwatch, that the vault in question had been Bellatrix Lestrange's vault.

Then a few days later they turned up. Harry, Ron and Hermione. They came to the Room of Requirement via the passage to the Hog's Head. They received a tumultuous and exceptionally rowdy reception. Sally tried to stay in the background a bit, but couldn't stay there for too long, as soon, Neville had started raving about Sally's exceptional abilities and how she was the most gifted member of the D.A.

"I know," she heard Harry say. "Did you know that she saved our lives? Hermione's and mine?"

"Wow," Neville said. "Yes, she did say that she'd helped you at some point! So it's true, then?"

Harry nodded.

"Sally!" Neville shouted at her, and, reluctantly, she strolled over and smiled.

Hermione hugged Sally happily, and so did Harry and Ron afterwards.

Then Harry told everyone he was looking for something. He said it was something that may have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Sally knew immediately that it was the lost diadem, but would not say anything. Luna Lovegood mentioned it anyway, and soon there was a discussion about it, about how lost it really _was_. Then there was some more commotion, as more and more people were appearing from the Hog's Head. An argument broke out about which Ravenclaw was going to take Harry to the Ravenclaw common room. Cho Chang had offered, but Ginny then suggested Luna, who was the one who ended up going with Harry.

Soon after, the castle seemed rife with commotion. Apparently, the Carrows were defeated and Snape escaped, and all the students were to assemble in the Great Hall. Rumor was that Voldemort was about to attack the castle!

Sally assembled in the Great Hall together with everyone else. The whole of the Order of the Phoenix were there, as were several of Hogwarts' ex-students. All the younger students were being evacuated, and the older ones were given the option to fight. Obviously, Sally would be expected to fight. She had to stay. Professor McGonagall was speaking to the audience in the Great Hall, when her voice was drowned out by Voldemort's. It was high, cold, and clear, and seemed to issue from the walls themselves. The message was as clear as the voice, he wanted Harry. He was giving them until midnight to hand him over, or the battle would begin. And midnight was only half an hour away!

Half an hour passed too soon, and the battle began in force. The castle was attacked, and people, animals, statues, suits of armor, and even furniture were fighting! Sally joined in, fighting on the Hogwarts' side, but defending only. She tried her utmost to save the lives of as many people as she could. She stunned quite a few people, but refused to use anything worse than that. She put up shield spells everywhere, sometimes even 'accidentally' shielding some of the Death Eaters, if a Killing Curse happened to go their way.

Sally's instructions had been to stay out of harm's way in the event of a battle, but she couldn't. She couldn't just sit back and watch all her friends being slaughtered. Not when there was _so_ much she could do to prevent that!

Then at some point Voldemort's voice sounded again. He was ordering the fighting to stop, and gave Harry one hour to give himself up. Then, if he hadn't, the battle would start again. The time was used to collect all the dead and the wounded, and once again assemble in the Great Hall. The losses were great. Sally felt sad as she saw how many people had lost their lives during the battle. What a waste of life! She shook her head. And it was all her father's fault! He was getting worse and worse. How could she possibly defend him now? How could she _possibly_ be willing to help him?

At some time during that hour, she spotted Harry walking through the entrance hall out into the grounds. She stood and watched him. She had a feeling she knew where he was going, he was going to give himself up. She considered trying to stop him. But what for? More people would be killed if he didn't, and there was nothing that anybody, including her, could do to stop that. She watched him with a heavy heart. She hoped that somehow, in some miraculous way, he would survive. But she didn't exactly have high hopes for that.

A little more than an hour later, Voldemort's voice once again swelled through the grounds, announcing that Harry Potter was dead. Soon after, he, his Death Eaters, and Hagrid, who was carrying Harry's body, were at the front doors of the school. Sally stayed as far back as she could, while still being able to see what was happening. She gasped. Was he _really_ dead? Was it all over, now?

She felt tears pricking behind her eyes. It was _wrong_, Harry shouldn't have died, it was all wrong! She heard other people gasping as they saw Harry's body. Hagrid put Harry down at Voldemort's feet and Voldemort started blurting out lies about Harry. It was making her angry. Why was he doing that? Was it not enough, that Harry was defeated? Was it not enough, that all those people had died? She started crying, and shook her head.

"No," she said. "No, no, no!"

She felt someone lean on her. "Oh, Sally," she heard her friend Mandy say. "He really _is_ dead, isn't he? Now we'll _never_ be free again!" There was desperation in her voice.

Then she saw Neville storming towards her father, with his wand out. "Neville! NO!" she cried, as she pulled out her wand.

But there was nothing she could do. She was too far away, he couldn't even _hear_ her. And he was on the floor before anyone could do anything. Voldemort had disarmed him, and was now talking to him. He gave him the option to join the Death Eaters. But he refused! Voldemort then summoned the Sorting Hat, and set it on fire on Neville's head. Sally screamed, and clasped her hands to her mouth. He couldn't be _that_ cruel, could he? He was burning Neville alive! She had to do something! She stormed forward.

But then lots of things happened, all at the same time. And suddenly, fighting had started again. More people turned up, and a bunch of centaurs joined in. Neville broke free of the body-bind that Voldemort had placed on him, and the flaming hat fell off. He drew a sword from it, and… sliced off Nagini's head! Sally's mouth fell open as she stared at the head of their beloved pet, as it flew up into the air. She swallowed hard. She could see her father scream too, although she could not hear it.

More animals joined the fight, and the Giants were fighting again too. All the wizards were pushed inside the castle, Sally included. Voldemort was in the midst of the fight, firing spells left, right and center. He backed into the Great Hall, and many followed, including Sally, who was firing off spells like everyone else, once again trying to stop people from getting hurt.

But then Voldemort spotted Sally. He gave her a furious look, while still fighting off everyone around him. He had ordered her to stay away from any fighting, and there she was, in the middle of it all! He pointed his wand at her, and the next thing she knew, she was encased in some sort of solid clear cage and moved away to the wall of the Great Hall, where the cage seemed to stick. No spells seemed able to penetrate the cage, and she could not get out. She tried every spell she knew, but none were working. She was stuck. All she could do now, was watch!

This time, it appeared that the Death Eaters were losing. More and more were falling by the wayside. But nobody seemed able to get to Voldemort, who was striking and smiting all within reach. Somehow, though, it seemed as if he wasn't able to do any permanent damage to anyone, which was puzzling Sally. What was going on?

Then she saw Bellatrix die. She was hit by a curse from Molly Weasley. She saw Voldemort's fury as she fell, saw him blast away McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn all at the same time, and raise his wand towards Molly Weasley. Then suddenly Harry appeared. Sally frowned. Wasn't he supposed to be dead?

Then Voldemort and Harry were dueling. They were talking, too. Soon, it became clear that Harry had indeed given himself up, without defending himself. He had sacrificed himself for everyone else that was fighting for him. And because of that sacrifice, Voldemort could no longer touch those fighting on Harry's side.

So _that_ was why his spells didn't cause any permanent damage, she thought! Harry had meant to die for all of them! But he hadn't. Somehow, he had survived.

Then Harry told about Snape, how he had never been on Voldemort's side. How he had been Dumbledore's man all along. She also learned that Snape was dead. That Voldemort had killed him... because of the Elder Wand. Because apparently, the Elder Wand had not given its allegiance to Voldemort, and he had thought that by killing Snape, he would get that allegiance, since Snape had killed Dumbledore.

Then Harry told him that the Elder Wand had never belonged to Snape. That it had belonged to… Draco! Because Draco had disarmed Dumbledore. And, since Harry had disarmed Draco and taken _his_ wand from him at Easter, _Harry_ was now the true master of the Elder Wand.

Finally, they both cast their spells, and she saw the Elder Wand spin towards Harry, while her father died, right there, in front of her eyes. She gasped. Sally's cage fell apart, and she fell to the floor. The caster was dead, and so the spell was broken.

Screams and cheers broke out all around her as she was crawling to her feet. She was laughing. She was crying. She was laughing and crying, all at the same time. She was confused, so confused. She was happy. Happy that it was all over, all the pain and suffering he caused, he would do no more. But still, still. She felt a great sense of loss inside her too. Her father, the only family member she had had left! And now? What now? What was she to do? Where would she go?

She pushed herself against the wall, away from the crowd. And what about… the _plan_? She shivered. Now she had to make a decision, and soon, too! There wasn't much time. If she was to act, she would have to do it soon. But did she want to? Wouldn't the world be a better place without him? She wanted to delay. Delay her decision. She did not want to face it right now. She thought she could probably afford herself a little bit of a delay, at least. Harry was busy shaking hands and talking to people. Everyone wanted to be near him. And as people were celebrating, news came creeping in from everywhere about people under the Imperius Curse coming back to themselves, and Death Eaters fleeing or being captured.

She saw Voldemort's body being moved to a chamber off the Hall. And after a few moments, she decided to enter the chamber. About 50 or so dead bodies lay in the chamber. Voldemort lay separate from them, on his own. Sally walked over to him and stared at him. She had to blink back tears as she looked at his face. She moved away quickly. If anybody was to see that she was crying over _him_! Instead, she stared at the others. So many! She recognized practically all of them. The sight of _them_ brought tears to her eyes too.

And as she was standing there, staring at the dead, her tears flowing freely, Hermione came in and noticed her. "Sally," she said, as she rushed over to her, and put an arm around her. They stood together for a little while, Hermione also crying now, and hugged.

"Come," said Hermione finally. "Come inside, Sally. He's gone, it's all over. At least, no _more_ will die."

Sally gave a stifled sob, and glanced at Hermione, smiling faintly. Then she went inside with her, casting one last look back into the chamber at her father's body while Hermione wasn't looking.

Sally celebrated only briefly with the rest of them. She spotted Draco sitting at a table with his parents. Thank goodness he was alright! But she wasn't going to go see him. She couldn't, not right now. She would deal with that later. Instead, she went upstairs to her dormitory and to bed.


	52. After the Battle

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Donalee, thanks again for your review. But no, this story is not finished for a while…**

**I apologize too for the late update, but I've got some things going on at the moment. Sorry. **

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The day after the Battle of Hogwarts and Voldemort's demise, Harry Potter ran into Sally Perks.

"Harry!" she exclaimed. "Congratulations! I didn't get the chance to congratulate you last night, you were so… _popular_."

"Thanks, Sally," said Harry, as he stared at her with a smile on his face. Sally's face was lit up by her smile, and he admired her beauty. Yes, he was in love with Ginny, but he could look, couldn't he? Certainly now that all his worries seemed to be gone, he was free to feel good again.

Sally, in the mean time, stared back at him. Then she flew him around his neck and gave him a big hug.

"Whoa, Sally," he said, laughing. "By the way, I heard you were fighting very bravely last night!"

"Who told you _that_," said Sally with a frown.

"Lots of people. Apparently, if it hadn't been for you, there would have been twice as many lying in that chamber last night. I was told you seemed to be on a bit of a rescue-mission!"

She giggled. "Highly exaggerated!"

"I doubt that. I know from experience how good you are at saving lives."

Sally grinned.

"Anyway," he said. "We're having a little party tonight in the Gryffindor common room. Would you like to come?"

Sally's eyes lit up. "Sure!" she exclaimed. "I'd _love_ to!"

"Great! I'll see you there then."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

----------

While meeting Harry, Sally had actively been reading Harry's memories. She did it as fast as she could, since she couldn't possibly be staring at him for too long. But she had found what she was looking for, and left him with a smile on her face.

When she went around the next corner, she spotted Draco at the other end. She turned resolutely on her heels. She did not want to deal with him yet. Not until… well, at least, not until she had made her decision.

That evening Sally joined the Gryffindor party. She was talking to people and laughing with them, blending in as much as she could, but she couldn't help feeling like an outsider. As if she didn't belong there. She had said hi to Harry, and read another memory. One that would be very useful should she decide… but she hadn't decided yet.

Then, at some point, she got an opportunity. Harry was talking about something, and everybody was glued to his every word. Nobody noticed her. She quickly looked around her. Nope, nobody at all was watching her.

So she cast a disillusionment charm and charged up the staircase to the boys' dormitories, making sure not to make any noise. She raced to Harry's bed, and quickly retrieved his invisibility cloak from its hiding spot. Thanks to her Legilimency skills, she had known _exactly_ where that was! She hid it under her own cloak, and raced back down to her spot. Still no one was looking her way. She made herself visible again. The whole thing had taken mere seconds, and she was pretty sure nobody had noticed her brief disappearance.

Shortly after, she left the party after saying goodbye. She went back to her own dormitory, and carefully hid away the cloak. Then, before she went to sleep, she cast a wake-up spell.

The spell awoke her quietly in the middle of the night. She cast another disillusionment spell, and carefully slid out of bed, taking care not to wake anyone. She went downstairs, out of the House, and walked through the hallways towards the Front Door. She easily opened the door with a spell, and took care to close it behind her.

She walked over the grounds until she got to Dumbledore's tomb. She was hesitating. She didn't really want to do what she was about to do! She stared at the tomb. She had seen in Harry's memories that the Elder Wand was once again buried with Dumbledore. She had to retrieve it! She stood there for a while, unsure of what to do.

Then she finally raised her wand, opened the grave, and quickly snatched the Elder Wand away. She closed up the grave, and ran, disgusted by the atrocious act she had just performed.

----------

The next morning Sally was carrying a box of candy around with her. When she finally ran into Ron, Harry and Hermione, she thrust the box into Harry's hand.

"Here," she said. "I got you guys some candy."

"Gee thanks," said Harry, with a puzzled look on his face. He looked at the overly large box. "Licorice Cauldrons?"

Sally smiled. "My favorite."

Harry smiled back.

"By the way, Sally," said Hermione. "Did you know Draco Malfoy is looking for you?"

"Is he?" said Sally, with a shocked look on her face.

"Yes, and apparently he's claiming that you're his girlfriend."

Sally stared at her. "I _was_. Voldemort _made_ me. I've been, er… _avoiding_ him."

"Why don't you just tell him then?" said Hermione.

"It's not that easy," Sally said.

Then she stood still for a little while, with a pensive look on her face. Suddenly she turned around towards Harry and ripped the box of candy back out of his hands.

"Sorry, Harry," she said with a giggle, as she saw his stunned expression. "But I just realized I left something in the box that I need to remove first. I'll bring it back to you in a moment!" She was backing away as she said this.

"Oh, okay," said Harry, puzzled by her unusual behavior. "We'll be in the common room. You know the password?"

"Same as last night?"

"Yes."

"Alright. See you later, then."

----------

"That was…odd," said Ron, after Sally had disappeared.

"Hmm," said Hermione.

"Hmm?" said Ron, mockingly copying her.

"Hmm," said Hermione again. "I have a feeling… I think that had something to do with Malfoy. I think she likes him more than she wants us to believe. Maybe the candy was originally meant for him, and she left a note in there for him, or something."

"You think so?" said Harry frowning.

"Yes," said Hermione. "Either that, or she forgot to put something _in_ it. Like a _love potion_, or so?"

Everyone laughed at this. Like Sally Perks would use any love potions!

"What's this about Voldemort forcing her to go out with Malfoy, anyway?" said Ron.

Hermione shrugged. "Yeah, that was… odd. Why would he want to do _that_?"

"Neville _did_ say Sally was going out with him for a while," said Harry.

"Yeah, but that stopped a few months ago," said Hermione. "Around about the same time as she stopped leaving Hogwarts in the weekends..."

"And we know where she used to go during those weekends!" said Harry.

"I still don't understand what Voldemort wanted with her," said Ron.

"Hmm," said Hermione again.

"_What_!" said Harry and Ron at the same time now.

"Well," Hermione said. "I spoke to some of the girls in her house. Apparently, Sally has a cousin, whom she likes a lot, and whom she has been talking about since she first arrived at Hogwarts after the death of her mother. But she always thought her cousin was a Muggle, up until this summer when she found out he was _really_ a wizard. Sally told us about this cousin too when we were at Malfoy Manor this Easter, remember?"

Harry and Ron stared at Hermione for a moment, then nodded.

"Anyway," Hermione continued. "Some of Sally's friends have met her cousin, and they were _raving_ about him, telling everybody how good-looking and smart he was. But they also said he was apparently living in the same place as Sally. At least, at that time. And that would mean that _he_ was living at Malfoy Manor too!"

"Maybe it was Draco!" said Ron.

Hermione looked at him in exasperation. "Ron… They would have _recognized_ Draco!"

"Oh yeah," said Ron.

"Anyway. Sally said she met Voldemort by coincidence at the end of last summer. She also found out around the same time, that she _did_ have some magical blood. What if her cousin was with Voldemort during the summer? We all know Voldemort lived at Malfoy Manor at that time. And the girls said Sally's cousin admitted to being a Voldemort-supporter…"

Hermione paused for a moment. Harry and Ron were very quiet, and stared intently at her, waiting for her to go on.

"So… Could it not be possible that Voldemort met her because of her cousin, saw her obvious potential, and decided to train her as a Death Eater?"

"Yeah that," said Ron, "Or maybe it was because he just liked the thought of having a pretty girl around him."

They laughed. "Yes, I guess that is possible, too," said Hermione. "But doubtful. She's also openly been going out with Draco since that time." She frowned. "And now she's saying that Voldemort forced her into that…" She thought for a moment. Then she added, "Also, Voldemort apparently killed her father…"

"So she had nowhere left to go," said Harry. "She had no other family left, remember? That way she would _have_ to stay with her only remaining family member, her cousin. Giving Voldemort the opportunity to train her!"

"But what's the point of training someone to be a Death Eater if they don't want to be? You see what happened to you guys at Spinner's End. She wasn't exactly helpful to him, there, was she?" said Ron.

Hermione frowned. "Maybe that's where Draco came in. He was supposed to make her change her 'views'. But it didn't work anyway, did it? Spinner's End happened, and then she ran away. A few months later she was caught. But she never went back with Draco, and shortly afterwards she stopped spending weekends at the Manor."

"That must mean that Voldemort had given up on her," Harry said.

"Yeah, but then, why didn't he kill her?" said Ron. "Isn't that what he usually does when he gives up on someone?"

"Good point," said Harry.

"Maybe he didn't because of her cousin," said Hermione. "Maybe there's something special about this cousin of hers?"

"You know, we could just ask her," said Ron.

Hermione shook her head. "She doesn't like to talk about it. Didn't she say she had been made to suffer _so_ much, that she would have preferred death, at the time?"

Harry pulled a face. "Poor thing…"

----------

Sally, in the mean time, had gotten back to her dormitory. Fortunately there was no one around, so she quickly pulled the Elder Wand out of the box of candy and hid it.

It had worked perfectly. Harry had been holding the wand, hidden in the box of candy, and Sally had taken it off of him against his will. So now _she_ should be the new rightful owner of the Elder Wand.

Now she would just go back and give him the box of candy again, so it wouldn't be suspicious. She went back to Gryffindor House, and she and the others finished off all the licorice cauldrons together, after which she returned to her own house.

She felt a little sick; she _did_ like licorice cauldrons, and had eaten a bundle of them. She stopped for a moment. Was it _really_ the licorice cauldrons that were making her sick? She gulped. Then she shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought.

She needed to go get some potion ingredients. That would be easy, though. She once again used a disillusionment spell, and was back in _no_ time with all the stuff she needed.


	53. Resurrection

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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That night Sally made another trip out into the grounds. This time she went into the Forbidden Forest, carrying everything she had acquired over the last few days: the Cloak, the Wand, and the potion ingredients. Also some stuff that she had brought back from her last trip to the Manor, including some robes and Voldemort's old Yew wand.

Soon she came to a clearing full of spider webs. This was where she knew Harry had dropped the stone, as she had seen _that_ memory too. She found the two halves fairly quickly and put them in her pocket.

Now she had all three Deathly Hallows.

She continued walking through the forest until she came to a different, smaller clearing, with a small stream in it. She hesitated before walking into it. She could still go back! She could go back, and everything would stay the way it was now.

She hesitated. The world would be so much safer… wouldn't it? She shouldn't be doing this. She could be messing up _everything_…

She gulped. Then she shook her head. 'No,' she thought. It would be okay. There was no risk. It was safe. She had thought about that already. Merlin knew she had been thinking about it! In fact, she had not been thinking about much _else_ lately! If her father would come back, he would be virtually powerless. There wasn't much he could do! He would have to hide and stay out of the limelight. He'd be pretty harmless! _Wouldn't he_?

She shook her head again. _There was no danger!_ She had to remember that. She could do this! And then she stepped out into the clearing.

She heard the voice right away. "Sally."

"H…Hello, father," she replied with a shock. It felt odd, to hear his voice again after she had seen him die.

"Do you have everything?"

She nodded.

"Then let us start."

Sally started preparing a potion. She used the Elder Wand as she was preparing it, so as to ensure success. It was a complicated potion. She needed to concentrate, so she wouldn't make any mistakes.

It took her a while, but she was ready in the end. She cast the spell she was taught a few months ago, and soon, Voldemort was standing before her, alive and well. He was naked, so she kept her eyes on his face. She did not need to see him like that. She handed him his robes and wand. He smiled at her, and took the bundle she handed him.

"Thank you, Sally," he said, as he put the robes down on the floor and picked up his wand. He was studying it as he twirled it around. "My old Yew wand," he mumbled.

He pointed it at Sally, and muttered a spell, as he took a step towards her. Immediately, her clothes fell off of her. She gasped.

"Well," he said, "it appears to still work for me, at least."

"Great," said Sally sarcastically.

He strode over to her and held her tight, turning her back towards him. He smelled her hair. "Sally," he whispered in her ear. "I have missed you _so much_! It seems it has been _ages_!"

"What…what are you doing?" Sally asked, with fear in her voice.

He laughed softly. "I need you, Sally. I need you _right now_."

Sally choked. "_No_. _No_! You said… you _promised_, that you wouldn't do that to me anymore!"

"I promised no such thing."

"You did! You said…"

"Fine," he finished her sentence for her. "I said 'fine', that's all. That's hardly a promise, is it?"

Sally shook her head and choked back her tears. No. No, no, no! This couldn't be true! He couldn't do this to her. Not now! Not after everything she had done for him! She had brought him back to life! And _this_, would be her reward for that? He couldn't _possibly_ be serious!

But he _was_, as she quickly found out. And this time, he did not have his rejuvenation potion either. He laughed derisively. "I am sorry, Sally, I do not have my potion here. I should have made you pack some, shouldn't I?"

He took her from the back against a tree, for which she was somewhat grateful, as at least she didn't have to look at his face. He was quick and to the point. He buried his face in her hair afterwards, as he was catching his breath.

"Ahhhhhh, that feels _so_ much better, Sally. _Just_ what I needed after everything I have been through!"

He finally let go of her and put on his robes. Sally dropped to the ground, sat on her knees and clutched herself, hiding her face in her arms, and sobbed.

He walked over to her and sat down next to her. "I will make it up to you later," he said, as he stroked her hair.

Sally shook her head violently.

He chuckled. "Anyway, I am leaving. You know where I will be. I expect to see you there as soon as school is out, and that should not be long, with all the damage that has been done and needs to be repaired." He paused for a moment.

Then he pointed his wand at her again. "Here, put your clothes back on. You cannot go back like _that_!"

Her clothes flew back on her body, and she was once again dressed.

"Now, how about a kiss goodbye?" he taunted her. "For… _daddy_?" He laughed. He clearly thought he was highly amusing. Sally didn't move.

"Here, I shall clean up for you." He waved his wand, and the cauldron and the remaining ingredients all disappeared. "Now, go back. You cannot stay here like this by yourself. It is not safe."

She still wouldn't move. He sighed. He got up and pointed his wand at her again. She started to float. He walked through the forest with her floating in front of him. At the edge of the forest, he let her down.

He picked her up and turned her to face him. "_Thank you, _Sally. For bringing me back, _and_ for making me feel better. I shall see you soon. Okay?"

She didn't say anything and averted her eyes.

"_Look_ at me, Sally."

Reluctantly, she looked at him.

"_Okay_?"

She still didn't answer.

"I asked you a question," he said, still smiling, but in an icy tone. "_Answer_ me."

Sally gave a big sob. "O… okay," she stammered, as tears were falling from her eyes again.

He grinned, and stroked her hair again for a second. "Oh, and by the way…" he held up his hand.

She looked puzzled.

"The _diadem_, Sally."

Sally put her hand in her cloak, took out Ravenclaw's diadem, and handed it to him.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he said with a grin.

And then he was gone.

----------

Sally sat back down on the ground at the edge of the forest, and cried again. What had she done? She'd been _so_ stupid! She realized now he had told her he'd leave her alone only to ensure that she would bring him back if necessary! Just a little extra insurance. He had _never_ meant it!

Sally didn't know how she got back to her common room that night. But she dragged herself to her bed and slept, trying not to think about what had happened, what she had done.

She felt slightly better the next day, as at least one thing was still true. Alive as he may be, his power was, and would remain, severely limited. It was something he had not foreseen, not planned for. It wasn't as if he could just go back to the killing spree he had been on before! She sighed. Obviously, that was not _entirely_ true. There were a _few_ people over whom he still had full power. Notably, Sally herself. She hadn't expected that to be an issue, but… well, there it was.

Some sort of order was now re-established. Professor McGonagall had taken over as Headmistress, and announced at breakfast that day that classes would _not_ start back up due to the extensive damage to the castle. Older students, who wished to help restoring the castle to its previous grandeur, would be allowed to stay. For all others the Hogwarts express would leave later that day.

When Sally walked out of the Great Hall that morning, she was practically ambushed. "Sally," she heard Draco's voice, as she felt him pull her away into a quiet room. He stared at her. "What's up? You've been avoiding me!"

She smiled, and looked into his irresistible grey eyes. "Draco," she said softly, with tenderness in her voice.

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I know I have. I've just been… confused."

"You're coming back home with me today, right?"

She shook her head. "I can't, Draco." She gave him a mirthless laugh. "You don't actually think your parents will still want me in their house, now that my father is gone, do you?"

He frowned. "Of course they do, why wouldn't they?"

"Have you asked them?"

"No."

"They weren't exactly thrilled with him in the end, were they? Your mother _betrayed_ him, even. She told him Harry was dead, even though she knew very well that he wasn't! They're not going to want to have anything to do with anything or anybody related to him."

"Nonsense! You're _not_ your father! You couldn't be _more_ different from him!"

"There are still plenty of similarities. No, Draco, I should be by myself."

"Then I'll come with you!"

She shook her head. "No. I have to sort out my life first. I have some things to think about, some issues to deal with. By _myself_. I'm not ready!"

He frowned at her. "But I thought you said that you… _loved_ me?"

Tears started pricking in her eyes again. "Yes, Draco. I do! I absolutely do!"

He looked angrily at her, not saying a word. Then he turned around and left. Tears streamed down her cheeks now, and she wondered if she was ever going to stop crying. It seemed to her that she wasn't doing anything else _but_, lately.

Then she heard another voice. "Sally?"

It was Hermione. She was staring at Sally, as Sally was bawling.

Hermione walked over to her and gave her a hug. "I just saw Draco come out. He looked pretty mad, so I thought I'd have a look and see what he left. And then I found you!"

She pulled back from Sally. "You _love_ him, don't you, Sally?"

Sally nodded, as she was still sobbing hard.

"Then why won't you _be_ with him?"

"I… I can't. So much has happened!" She looked up at Hermione. "So many _bad_ things… _really_ bad things!"

Hermione saw the doubt and fear in her eyes. "I… I understand, I think. You've gone through a _lot_, haven't you?"

Sally nodded.

Hermione stared at her for a bit, sympathy showing on her face. "But what are you going to do _now_, Sally? You have nowhere left to go, do you?"

Sally shrugged. "I'm going to be staying with my cousin, I think," she said, pensively.

"Your cousin?" Hermione frowned. "But wasn't he a Voldemort supporter?"

Sally shrugged again. "But he's all I've got left!"

"I've heard about your cousin. Your friends were raving about him. What's his name?"

"Tom."

"Tom who?"

"It doesn't matter," said Sally. She looked around shiftily. "I've got to go now, Hermione. I've got to pack for the train."

"You're not staying?" Hermione called after her, as Sally was walking away.

"No," said Sally, and left quickly.

----------

"Tom," Hermione repeated pensively to herself. She shook her head. It was a common name. It _had_ to be coincidence, that it was the same first name as Voldemort's…

----------

Sally had a very quiet ride back on the train. She kept mostly to herself. She was in a compartment with her Ravenclaw friends, who were _so_ excited and were talking _so_ much, that nobody really noticed that Sally wasn't participating. And that suited Sally just fine. Back at the train station, Sally apparated to the spot she had arranged to go to _months_ ago; the Riddle House.


	54. The Riddle House

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The first thing Sally saw when she entered the run-down house cheered her up immensely. Nagini! It had been a shock for her to see the fake Nagini slain during the battle of Hogwarts, _even_ though she _knew_. It had been a horrible sight! But here she was, alive and well! She picked up the snake, twirled her around her neck and stroked her.

Voldemort came out of a room just off the entrance and stood in the doorway, looking at them. "It suits you. Maybe I should get you your _own_ pet snake."

Sally gave him a foul look, as she let Nagini go.

He laughed. "Still mad at me, hmm?"

"You _bastard_!" she snapped.

He was over there in a shot, his wand under her chin, her arms pulled behind her back. "Don't – ever – speak to me – like that – again… Sally!" he hissed. "Apologize!"

Sally was trembling. "I… I'm sorry, f… father!" she said in a shaky voice.

He relaxed his grip. "That's better. I shall have to think of some kind of punishment for you, later. Now find yourself a room upstairs, then come back and talk to me."

Sally picked a dusty and dirty room upstairs (they were _all_ dusty and dirty) that appeared to have less broken pieces of furniture than the others, then went back downstairs to join him in the living room.

"Sit down," he barked at her.

"I have a problem," he added after a few moments silence.

Sally tried hard not to smile. "I know."

He stared at her with an angry look, as if _his_ problem was _her_ fault. "Potter's _damn_ sacrifice," he hissed, balling his hands into fists as he spoke. "I can no longer touch _anyone_ who fought against me during the battle. Not _anyone_. Do you understand that, Sally? Do you know how _many_ people that is?"

Sally didn't say anything. Yes, she knew. It was the main reason that she had decided to bring him back after all. But she thought it'd be wise not to mention that.

"It's practically _half_ of the wizarding world!" he yelled, as he kicked a small table in front of him, which flew across the room and ended up smashing against the wall. "Do you know what that means, Sally?"

Once again she remained silent.

"It means that I am stuck! I cannot show myself, since I cannot even _defend_ myself against _any_ of these people! If I was to brush up against one of them, I would be at his or her mercy, no matter _how_ weak they were!" His face was contorted horribly. He was mad. Livid!

"It… it could have been worse," Sally said, carefully.

"_How_?" he yelled at her. "_How_ could that be worse, Sally? What is worse than knowing that just about _anybody_ can defeat you, without even trying?"

"You could have been dead," she replied.

He stared at her. Then he turned his back to her. "I might as well _be_ dead. If I was to show myself, with so many enemies, I would be dead in minutes!"

"But you're not. And nobody knows you're not! So as long as you remain hidden…"

"Arrrgggghhh," he yelled. "I am reduced to hiding now! Hiding like an animal!"

He stood there thinking for a little while. "I have to think of something," he mumbled. "I _have_ to! I cannot waste my life away hiding. There has _got_ to be something. Some way! I fixed it with Potter then, I should be able to fix it now." A flicker of hope appeared on his face, but then it died again. "But there are so many! I can fix a few of them. But this time, there are hundreds! And even if I were to forget just _one_ of them, I would be in danger!"

His face pulled into a grimace, as he dropped into a chair and stared into space. Seemingly forgotten, Sally eventually thought she'd try to sneak out.

"Stay," he snapped at her. "I need you around."

He just sat there for a while. Got up, walked around a bit. Stared at the wall. Stared out the window. Sat back down. Got back up. And all the while, she could almost _hear_ him think. _Hours_ passed, and Sally was bored to tears. She was just sitting there, doing nothing.

Finally, _well_ after nightfall, he told her she could go to bed. And she did. She performed a few cleaning charms on her bed, then lay down in it and sighed. He'd taken it _far_ worse than she had thought he would…

----------

The days and weeks passed, and Sally was trying to make the Riddle House her home. She had been cleaning up and repairing stuff, trying to restore some of it.

There had been issues with their occupancy of the house, too, but they had been easily resolved. After all, the house _was_ legally theirs, as they were the old Riddle's only heirs. Sally was now the official new owner of the house as Riddle's granddaughter. Of course, the _true_ owner of the house really _was_ Voldemort, but since _he_ was officially dead, it had _had_ to be her. Obviously, though, there were no official papers that stated that she was Voldemort's daughter, but that had easily been resolved with a confunding charm. As an added benefit, she had also received access to a bank account with a tidy sum in it, courtesy of the old Riddles.

She was now known as Sally Riddle in the village of Little Hangleton, even though she herself still used the name Sally Perks. Nobody in town had ever questioned her claim to the heritage, since she _did_ bore some small resemblance to her grandfather. Besides, no one had ever _wanted_ the old house anyway. Rumor was that it was haunted, after all. And it certainly was in a state of great disrepair.

Voldemort never showed himself outside the house for obvious reasons, but everyone knew someone else was living with her. Her cousin Tom, Sally had told them. He spent most of his time thinking, reading, or out on the grounds making potions. To Sally's great surprise and relief, he had also not touched her anymore since that night in the Forbidden Forest. It made living with him ultimately more bearable.

They actually seemed to be getting on well. Although still extremely dominant, he was more of a father to her now than he had ever been before, and Sally had to admit that she liked it. She had even started to feel sympathetic to his predicament.

She had explained a few things to him that she had found out from Harry. How Harry had been turned into a horcrux when Voldemort had attacked him when he was just a baby. The full version of the prophecy, how Voldemort _himself_ had made Harry into his greatest enemy by marking him and turning him into a horcrux, and so had given him some of his own powers that Harry would not have had otherwise. How his Killing Curse during the recent battle of Hogwarts had killed the part of his soul that had attached itself to Harry. That now that Harry was no longer a horcrux, he was no longer a threat, as there was no longer a connection between them.

She had _not_, however, told him about the Hallows. How she had obtained all three of them. She didn't want to tell him that yet – if at all. She kept them in case of an emergency – in case he somehow turned back into the monster he was before. They were her insurance policy.

----------

Then one day Sally received an owl, with a letter from Hogwarts. She eagerly read the contents, then went to speak to her father.

"Father," she began.

He looked up at her.

She held up the letter. "It's from Hogwarts. They're doing a summer term, since the last term got sort of… well… messed up." She paused for a moment. "If I go, I get the opportunity to take my N.E.W.T.'s."

"Sounds like a good idea. It would be the first step towards your career as a healer."

She frowned. "A… a _healer_, father?"

"Yes. I have decided you will be a healer."

"Oh."

She stared at him for a moment. Then she added, "Why?"

He didn't reply, just looked at her briefly and raised his eyebrows. Then he continued reading the book he had been reading previously. The message was clear; she was not to question him.

Sally had never been exactly sure _what_ she wanted to do after school, but she had never really had much interest in being a healer. She knew there was no point arguing, however, and she very much wanted to go back to Hogwarts.

There was silence for a moment, until she decided to break it. "So, can I go then, father?"

"Do you _want_ to go?"

"Yes."

"Then you may."

"But I won't be able to come back in the weekends, now that Professor Snape is no longer there."

"Yes, I understand that, of course," he said, irritated.

"And how would you buy your food? You can't go out!"

"Stop insulting me, Sally. I can take care of myself."

"Okay!" she gave in, happy now.

"While you are there, you will be making a list of everyone who fought against me during the battle."

"O… okay," she said warily.

"When does the train leave?"

"Tomorrow."

He nodded. "Fine. But in that case, you will be sleeping in _my_ bed tonight."

"_What?_" she said, shocked, as he grinned at her. "But… but…"

"You do realize that a _lot_ of children sleep with their parents, occasionally?"

"_Sleep_, yes!" she protested. "But I'm sure you _don't_ just want to _sleep_!"

He laughed, then grabbed another book out of the bookcase. She stared at him open-mouthed, as he sat down to read it. He briefly looked up at her. "The conversation is _over_, Sally," he said, with a finality that didn't invite argument.

She turned around and stormed out of the room.

That night she was sitting in her bedroom, her trunk packed, reading a book and stroking Nagini when Voldemort opened the door. "Be in my room in 15 minutes, ready for bed," he said, and left.

Sally swallowed hard, and sunk a little further into her chair. Then, as a few minutes had passed, she got up, got ready for bed and put on an old baggy t-shirt. There is no way she'd be wearing any of the pretty nighties that she used to wear for Draco, she thought.

When she entered his room, she noticed that he had once again turned into his younger self.

"Did you get more of that potion, father?" she asked timidly.

"Yes, I made some more." He grinned. "I improved it, too."

Sally frowned. "How is it improved?"

"It does not wear off. It will last until I am done with it. It will be easier that way when I need to go places while you are out. Safer."

He looked her up and down. "Anyway, either take that _off_," he indicated her shirt with an appalled look on his face, "or put on something a little more… interesting. I know you can do better than _that_!"

She stared at him for a few minutes, then left, changed, and came back. At least he looked better again, she thought. Now she could at least pretend that he was someone else.

"Much better," he smiled, when she came in wearing a lacy green mini-dress. "_Now_ you may get into my bed, beautiful." And he gave her a gentle pat on her bottom as she crawled into his bed.

He used several different spells on her that night; almost like he was doing some kind of experiment. Each spell was different, but all of them resulted in an orgasm for her. Soon, she was worn out as some of them were pretty intense. He asked her many questions, too, what she preferred and which was her least favorite, etc.

"Can we please stop, now," she finally begged him. "I've had enough! Really!"

He grinned at her. "But it was fun though, was it not?"

"Yes," she sighed. "But I'm done, now!"

"One last," he smirked. "Your favorite."

He picked a spell she had earlier indicated as her favorite, only this time he decided to 'join in'. She had to admit it was pretty amazing, unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Still, she thought, it could never beat what she had had with Draco, since not a spell in the world could replace that special feeling that she only had with _him_.

It was an unusual night, also since on all previous occasions, he had always left right after. This time he didn't leave, since he was in his own bed, and fell asleep with one of his arms around her.

In the morning when she woke up, he was already up, dressed, and bustling around. He smiled as she opened her eyes, and went to sit next to her.

"I will miss you. I find myself more and more attached to you, Sally."

She gave him a wry smile.

"Anyway, I will walk with you to the apparition point."

"Apparition point?" Sally said, puzzled.

"I have upgraded the security. You can no longer apparate in and out of the house." He smirked. "And I am afraid you won't be able to bring any friends home, either. They won't find the way in, unless _I_ invite them myself."

She shrugged. "Fine."

"I know most parents will be seeing their children off at the station, but in our case, that may not be wise," he chuckled. "Some of the parents might recognize me. And although that would not have been much of a problem previously, right now it could be."

"Yeah, and Harry Potter will be there too. He would recognize you right away!"

He frowned. "From my diary, I suppose?"

"Yes, and the memories that Dumbledore showed him."

A shadow fell over his face briefly. But then he recovered. "Let us go."

Sally got up and went to her own room to get dressed. As she was getting ready, she was dwelling on the differences between him and Draco.

Draco would have had to have her again in the morning when they woke up, and probably again before they left. He was practically _insatiable_ when he was around her!

She sighed. Whenever she thought of Draco, she felt sad. She missed him…


	55. Summer School

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: redpaint, thank you so much for your review! I'm very happy that you think it's worth reading.**

**Why did Sally resurrect Voldemort? Well… Sally is confused. She has absolutely no family left, it's just him. And even though he's often horrible to her, he is also sometimes nice to her. And he gives her lots and lots of attention, something a young girl such as she, craves.**

**Furthermore, Sally is inherently good (something she clearly inherited from her mother, _not_ her father), and like Dumbledore, tries to see good in everyone. She also feels an attachment since they do have a lot of things in common, there is no doubt in her mind that he is indeed her father. She has lost her mother and has a difficult time with that, she doesn't want to be parentless. She desperately wants to have a parent like other people around her have, and she feels that maybe, someday, Voldemort can be that for her. Voldemort plays in on those feelings by acting the way he does; by giving her what **_**she**_** needs after his own 'needs' have been seen to. I am convinced that Voldemort can be very pleasant at times, since otherwise he would have no followers. Dumbledore also said in the Half Blood Prince, that he deluded each of his followers into believing that they alone had his confidence, were close to him and understood him. He made each of them feel like they, and only they, were his best friend (even though none of them were).**

**Of course Sally feels all this subconsciously. She doesn't realize that's how she feels; in fact, all she feels is confusion, and the fact that she is a hormonal teenager doesn't make that any better. She is scared of him and hates him one moment, and the next she feels close and wants to be near him. She just couldn't bear the thought of never seeing him again, even with all his faults, and therefore resurrected him. Deep down, she knows she shouldn't have. But like all of us, she has her faults too.**

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The next day she went back on the train, back to Hogwarts. She was ecstatic! Everything would be like it used to be! She was in a compartment with her Ravenclaw friends, and this time she was chatting away with the rest of them.

That is, until Draco Malfoy turned up in their compartment. "Sally. Come out here, we need to talk."

Once they were out in the hallway, and he had made sure nobody else was around, he began. "Alright, Sally. There are a few things I don't understand."

She waited expectantly.

"Who's this cousin of yours?"

"What?"

"Your cousin! I heard from one of your friends, that apparently, just before Easter, you were living with your cousin. She described him for me. And guess what? I've _never_ seen him before!"

"Of course you haven't, why would you?"

"You were living with him? And you happened to live at my house at that time? That means _he_ must have been living at my house too! Funny, you'd think I'd have bumped into him on occasion."

"He meant he was living in the same area."

He looked at her suspiciously. "So how come you've never mentioned him before?"

"I _have_, just not to you! I have talked about him to my friends in Ravenclaw practically since I _started_ at Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, I heard that too. Apparently, you told them he bought you some 'stuff'."

She didn't reply.

"Only he _didn't_, did he, Sally?" He gave her a piercing look. "Furthermore, he was a _Muggle_ then. But he's not _now_, is he?"

"I _thought_ he was a Muggle at the time!"

"But he didn't sound like the kind of person who would _ever_ pretend to be a Muggle! In fact, he seemed _annoyed_ at the suggestion! So how come you used to have that impression of him?"

"Well, he… he never mentioned it, since he thought _I_ was a Muggle."

"Hmm." He clearly did _not_ believe her. "So, where is your cousin _now_, Sally?"

"At his house."

"And you? Where did _you_ go? Where are _you_ living now?"

She bit her lip. "I'm… I'm living with him."

He stared at her. "Are you now," he said in an icy tone. "What happened to… trying to sort things out… _by yourself_?"

"Well I… I meant… I mean… he's… he's _family_!"

"Do you _fuck_ him, Sally?"

She frowned. "Draco!" she exclaimed, in an insulted tone.

"Well, _do_ you?"

"You _know_ the answer to that. Think about it!"

He thought for a moment, then his expression softened a bit. "Still, there's something funny about this 'cousin' of yours. Something you're not telling."

He stared into her eyes. He was trying to do Legilimency on her. She found that quite funny, as _she_ was an expert now. She could show anything she wanted, and hide anything she wanted. She could _even_ make things up! Her skills at Legilimency and Occlumency were practically unsurpassable. She _always_ knew when someone was trying to perform Legilimency on her, while she herself was now able to perform it on most people without them having even the slightest inkling about what she was doing.

"Whatever," he said, as he looked away from her for a moment. "But there's something else, as well."

She looked at him expectantly.

"The Dark Lord. Your _father_."

She frowned.

"Two days after his demise, all Death Eaters felt their marks burning."

She looked confused.

"The _Dark_ _Mark_, Sally," he said in a whisper. "The _Dark_ _Mark_!"

"So? What does that mean?"

"It means," he said, as he was getting closer to her. "It means, according to some, that he's _not_ really dead!"

Sally looked shocked. "But… but…" she stammered.

He looked at her shocked face. "Don't worry, not _everyone_ thinks that. It burned out pretty soon afterwards, and it hasn't burned since. It may just have been a last… message? Maybe as his body was being buried, or something? I don't know."

Sally looked reassured. The secret was still safe.

Draco had come awfully close to her, though. He was holding her arm, and staring into her eyes. She felt excitement rushing through her body. She hadn't been this close to him for a long, long, time! She opened her mouth a little and was moving towards him, as her eyes were closing. He swallowed. She thought she saw him struggle with something.

"Sally," he said with a jolt, as he moved an inch or two away from her.

Her eyes flew open. "What?"

"What are you doing?"

She looked confused.

"You _know_ what I mean!"

She stared at him. He stared back, just for a moment, then he grabbed her and kissed her like he had never kissed her before. When they finally stopped, Sally was out of breath. She had a wild look in her eyes. She wanted him, bad!

"Draco," she whispered. "Draco, Draco! I… I missed you so much! It's been so long!"

He just stared at her, with a similar expression. Then he frantically started looking around him, clearly trying to find someplace a little more private.

"Come," he said, as he dragged her along.

There didn't appear to be anywhere particularly private, though, and they ended up hugging in the hallway further along the train. His hands were underneath her shirt, rubbing her back.

"Sally," he whispered. "I… there's nowhere to go!"

"I know. It's okay. We'll… we'll have plenty of time when we get there."

He looked at her intently, desperately. "I've waited too long already." He thought for a moment. "Wait here!"

Then he walked into a compartment with a bunch of what looked to be first or second years. Within moments, they all walked out, with happy looks on their faces. Draco pulled her inside.

She frowned. "What did you tell them?"

"That I'd give them 10 Galleons each if they found somewhere else to sit for the rest of the trip. I think they're looking for the sweets-trolley now," he laughed, as he magically locked the door, added a silencing charm, and drew the curtains.

----------

Sally was having a great time at Summer School. Everyone was back, including Harry Potter, Hermione, and most of the Muggle-borns that had been absent the previous year. Professor McGonagall was Head Mistress, and the Carrows were in Azkaban. She was back with Draco, and since she knew that it couldn't last, she was making the most of it. She was also thoroughly enjoying her classes, and was doing _phenomenal_ in them.

In addition, she was doing as she was told; making a list of everyone that had been fighting against Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, and survived. It wasn't that hard, since she had been there, and all she needed to do was look at someone to know if they had been at the battle. And if she didn't already know their name, she would find out fairly easily. She didn't need to worry about the people who came in _after_ the sacrifice, like the people from Hogsmeade, because they were not affected by it. Still, the list was _huge_!

Too soon, the time for their N.E.W.T.'s examinations arrived. Many people were doing some last-minute crunching and were highly nervous, but not Sally. She was extremely confident. One of the examiners, who tested her on her practical knowledge, was _amazed_ by her skills, and noted that the whole year had unusually good results, but that _she_ absolutely beat them all! It certainly made her feel good.

After the tests were over, the students had another week of regular classes, at the end of which they would get their examination results. The process was speeded up specifically for this year, since they were already two months behind and most students were eager to start their new careers. Most of the new careers involved some kind of training that would start in September, and since it was already end of August, the normal processing time would not have been acceptable. This last week, classes for the 7th years were rowdy, and barely anyone paid attention. Most of the teachers had given up teaching anyway, and decided to do fun stuff and play games instead

It was in this week, that Professor McGonagall approached Sally. "Sally. I seem to remember that when we talked during your O.W.L. year, that you were not sure what career you wanted to pursue? Did you make a decision yet? You are the most qualified student of the year, and you would be able to go in any direction you'd want. I wondered if you had considered a career as an auror at all? I would certainly recommend you for such a role at the auror department."

Sally smiled at her. "Thank you, Professor. But I've already picked what I want to do. I would like to be a healer."

"A _healer_?" said Professor McGonagall. She frowned. "A _healer_? Are you sure, Sally? I never realized you had any interest in the healing profession!"

Neither did I, thought Sally to herself. But she just smiled friendly at her and nodded.

"Well, I mean… I guess… If that's what you want! You certainly won't have a problem being admitted to the training. Not with your grades, anyway. Would you like an application form?"

"Yes, please."

"And maybe you'd like to see Madam Pomfrey too? She should be able to give you an idea what the training will be like. Not that I think you will have any problems, but that way you will know what to expect."

"I will, thank you, Professor," Sally replied. Then she left.

----------

When Sally was gone, she left Professor McGonagall thinking about what a waste of talent it would be for Sally to become a healer. Professor McGonagall approached the subject later with Professor Slughorn, who was a lot more optimistic.

"Oh, but Minerva, I doubt she will just be an ordinary healer! There is a lot of room for top-level healers to grow! She'll probably be inventing new remedies for hard to cure illnesses and such. I'm positive she _can_ and _will_ go far in that profession. It is a very noble choice! She should be able to do a lot of good."

-----------

When the N.E.W.T. results came in, Sally was ecstatic to find that she had received top marks in all her subjects. Perfect scores! She couldn't have done better than she did.

But then came the hard part. School was finishing up, and everyone was getting ready to go back home, and she was dreading saying goodbye to Draco.

Sally and Draco were in the Room of Requirement the last day of term. The train would be leaving the next day.

"So what's going to happen now?" Draco said.

Sally shrugged. "We have to go back home."

"Yes. But who's going with who?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, either I'm coming with you, or you're coming with me."

She stared at him. "It… it'll be neither."

He frowned at her. "Sorry? What are you talking about, Sally? You can't tell me that you _still_ need time to sort things out. That you _still_ have issues to deal with! Isn't everything _dealt_ with by now?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not. I _have_ to go to my own home. My cousin will expect me."

"Then I'll come with you! You can introduce me to your cousin!"

"He's not going to want to meet you. He's a little… _unusual_, and _very_ protective. He doesn't think I should be involved with anyone just yet."

"Not _yet_? You're 18 years old! You're an adult! You don't have to listen to him!"

She looked at the floor. "Draco… He's all I have left! I have no other family. I don't want to alienate him!"

"But you're okay with alienating me?"

She bit her lip as he stared at her.

"So you're seriously just going to _leave_ me now, Sally?"

She nodded, still staring at the floor.

He continued staring at her for a while. "You know what, Sally?"

"What?"

"There's something really, really odd about this cousin of yours. I don't trust him, and I don't trust _you_ with him. He seems to have some kind of mysterious hold over you. It's not normal, or healthy. You'll be _much_ better off without him, last family member or not!"

She was still shaking her head. "You don't understand. I have no choice!"

"No, you're right. I _don't_ understand! So why don't you help me out here? Explain it to me! I think I've at least earned _that_ right!"

When she looked back up at him, there were tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Draco."

"You're _sorry_? That's _all_ you've got to say to me?"

"Yes. I am, I truly am!"

He scoffed at her, and walked out.

-----------

Sally found the train-ride back extremely depressing. She'd had such a good time! But she'd never be on this train again. In fact, she would most likely never set foot in Hogwarts again. It was all over, for good. Her life was changed forever. And not to mention Draco. But she didn't want to think about Draco. No, she couldn't _bear_ to think about _him_!

But then there was another feeling as well. Somehow, someway, she had a feeling of excitement, of exhilaration, about going home. Something that had been missing in her life since her mother had passed away, had returned: Parental praise. She had worked _so_ hard, her grades an obvious testament of that. She _knew_ her father would be happy with her about that; he _may_ even be proud of her.


	56. Back Home

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally had been right, Voldemort _was_ happy with her. Not _just_ with her grades, though. She got him everything else he wanted too! She had brought home the list he wanted, and she was pretty sure it did indeed contain everyone that had been on the 'other' side during the Battle of Hogwarts. In addition, she had already received confirmation that she could start her training as a healer in a few days.

"Excellent! Great job, Sally! I'm very happy with you," he told her. He seemed genuinely pleased.

Sally herself had been happily surprised when she had arrived back at the house. She could hardly believe the transformation that seemed to have taken place! The difference, compared to the place she had left, was extraordinary.

They now had an elf. Sally had no idea where he got the elf from, but, there she was. She was extremely useful too, since she took care of _all_ the cleaning and cooking in the house. Her name was Wolny.

The house itself looked fantastic! It was completely restored to its former glory and _sparkling_ clean. The yard was also cleaned up and tidy. In addition, Voldemort had acquired an owl called Perglassis.

And, of course, there was the fact that he himself looked a lot less frightening now that he was permanently 'rejuvenated'.

"It's… it's improved here a lot," Sally said.

"Of course," he replied. "You think I wanted to continue living like an animal?"

Sally giggled a little. It hadn't been _that_ bad! Still, it was an incredible improvement.

"I have something for you," he said, actually smiling somewhat. "A little… _surprise_."

The remark startled Sally. A surprise? For _her_?

"Feruca!" he called out in Parseltongue. And within moments, a snake came slithering around the corner, about a quarter of the size of Nagini. "Here, you can have your _own_ pet snake."

Her eyes opened wide. She stared from him to the snake and back. Her _own_ snake? He had got her a present! A pet! She carefully walked up to the snake and stuck her hand out to have her smell it. She did, and then stroked her hand with her head. Sally sat down to stroke her.

"She is still young," Voldemort said. "She will grow bigger. Not as big as Nagini, I think. But big enough for you."

Sally giggled as the snake was crawling up her arm and around her neck. A _baby_, she thought. It was just a baby! She looked back at Voldemort, with an extremely happy expression on her face, as she sat there, with the baby snake wrapped around her.

"Th… thank you, father!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

He smiled at her in a strange way, like he wasn't sure what to make of her at the moment. "Alright, Feruca, go back to Nagini now," he said, and the snake slithered away.

"Now, about your training. I want you to speed it up. You will sit exams for classes you didn't take. You can study for them yourself, at home, just get the books. We do not have time for you to take _years_ to complete your training. It needs to be done within months, instead."

Sally looked surprised, but nodded. "Yes, father."

"That is all for now."

There was a brief silence. "Father? I was thinking, what if one of your previous Death Eaters tells people that I am your daughter? Won't I be in trouble, then?"

"Ah, but they can't, Sally. I took care of that a while back. Shortly after we met, in fact. It is a secret that none of them will be able to tell."

"Oh." Then after a short pause, she said, "Talking about your Death Eaters, apparently the Dark Mark burned when you were… _revived_."

He gave her a self-satisfied smile. "Ahhhh… but it didn't last very long, though, did it?"

"No."

"I disabled it for the time being. Since so many of my supporters are now imprisoned, and so _much_ is riding on all ordinary witches and wizards thinking I am dead, I thought that best." Then he frowned. "Who told you that, anyway?"

She swallowed. 'Oh-oh,' she thought. There was only _one_ person that could have told her that!

He folded his arms and stared at her, an angry look now on his face. "Sally," he said, in a harsh voice, "I would like to see your memories."

Sally stared back at him. She was scared. She had to organize her memories, and quick. Hide all the ones with Draco in, except for where he told her _those_ things. She looked at the floor as she did this. She was very fast. Then she looked at him again. "Alright, father."

He narrowed his eyes. He seemed suspicious. She felt him enter her memories, and searching through them. Part of that first conversation with Draco was there, but nothing else that involved him. Then he let go. He still looked angry, if possible, even _more_ so than before. "You're better than I thought, Sally. I guess I have been underestimating you."

Sally looked shocked. Did he… _know_?

"Go. Leave. I need to think."

And Sally left. 'Well,' she thought to herself, he may know that she was able to hide things from him now, and suspect what had happened, but there was _no way_ he could really find out, was there? So she went to her room and relaxed a bit, stroking both Nagini and Feruca who she'd found quickly and had taken with her to her room.

Then Wolny entered. "Would Mistress like something to eat?"

"Thank you, Wolny. I would really like some water. And maybe a sandwich or so!"

"Yes, Mistress," said Wolny, but with a strange expression on her face. "Mistress is _very_ kind! I will be back soon!"

Sally guessed her father had not made it a habit to thank her.

Wolny was back very quickly with Sally's sandwich. Sally ate it, and yawned. She was tired, and decided to go to bed.

But she had a hard time falling asleep, and kept listening to the noises in the house. Not that there were many. She thought she could hear Perglassis hooting somewhere outside, he was probably hunting. Then she heard her father come up and go to his room, and she suddenly felt an odd sort of affection for him. He'd been pleased with her. He had given her a present. He had actually acted like a parent! Like her mother had been…

For some reason she felt very lonely. She missed her mother, and felt alone in her room, after spending two months in a dormitory shared with four other girls. She tossed and turned, and waited for sleep that would not come.

Then she thought of something. Something stupid, and maybe even _dangerous_. Something she really shouldn't be doing; shouldn't even be thinking about. So she dismissed it, and decided she was just going to go to sleep.

But she couldn't get the idea out of her head, and at some point, she grabbed her wand and cast a wake-up spell for early that morning on herself.

Then she crept out into the hallway. She was wearing her old and shapeless nightshirt, since she didn't want to give any kind of impression that might get her into trouble. She stopped for a second. She better cast a silencing charm on herself too, so she wouldn't make any noise. She used her wand on her father's door, and it opened silently. She looked at him. He was asleep. She tip-toed towards his bed and quietly got in, making sure _not_ to touch him. Then she went to sleep.

The next morning her wake-up spell woke her up early, before _he_ had awoken, and she went through the same thing in reverse. She crept back to her own room and stroked the snakes again for a bit, until she fell back asleep, and didn't wake up until quite a bit later.

When she walked into the kitchen later that morning, she found her father sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet, and drinking coffee.

"Good morning, father," she smiled, and sat down at the table.

He gave her an unusual look. Frowning a little, but not in an angry way. "Sally," he greeted her.

"Wolny, could I have some coffee too, please?" she said pleasantly to the elf.

"Yes, Mistress, of course, Mistress!" the elf replied happily, and gave Sally a steaming mug of coffee.

"Why did you leave?" Voldemort suddenly asked.

Sally looked up, shocked.

He smirked. "Why, you thought I wouldn't notice?"

She blushed vigorously, and looked down into her coffee.

"Well?" he asked again.

"I… I didn't want you to know."

He laughed, but didn't say anything else, and continued reading his paper.

----------

That afternoon, Sally decided to take a stroll around the town. She would buy some candy while she was there. Soon, she was greeted by an elderly man she knew as Mr. Burko.

"Sally!" he exclaimed. "I haven't seen _you_ for a while! How have you been?"

"I'm fine, Mr. Burko," she said with a smile. "I've been to Summer School."

"Have you now? And how did you do?"

"Great. I passed everything."

"Wonderful!" he said, sounding genuinely pleased.

Then he changed his tone somewhat. "Sally?"

"Yes?" she replied with a frown.

"Your cousin, the one you live with. _Tom_ is his name, right?"

"Yes?"

"He's a little… _unusual_, isn't he?"

"Yes, I guess I would agree he is."

"Well, for starters, he's like… the spitting image of the old Riddle that used to live here! No offense, miss, but he looks more like him than _you_ do. I would have thought _he_ was the grandson!"

Sally smiled uncomfortably. Not grandson, _son_, she thought. But… oh well…

"Furthermore he is, er… not exactly… _friendly_. Not like you, at all! He doesn't talk unless he needs something. And the way he looks at people! Well, let's just say… he's scaring some. And then… strange things happen around him sometimes. A few of the kids that tried to talk to him have had some unusual kind of… _seizures_!"

Sally just continued smiling wryly. It looked like her father had made an impression. Just not a very good one!

"And then…" the man continued. He looked sharply at Sally. "May I be frank with you, Miss?"

"Sure, go ahead," Sally replied anxiously.

"Are you, er…" He thought for a moment. "Are you romantically involved with him, Miss?"

Sally looked shocked. "No! Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged. "Just something he said to one of the girls in town."

She frowned. "What… what did he say?"

"Well," he began. "There are a few girls… well, you know, he's kind of a… a handsome young man. And a few of the girls like him, even though he does not seem to have a very nice character. Anyway, our Rosa, she picked up her courage one day and asked him out, to a festival nearby."

"Oh?" Sally said, with concern in her voice, as she could only imagine what he would have thought of _that_.

Mr. Burko frowned. "He rejected her. But he was not very nice about it! I guess she could have expected that in a way. But he actually _laughed_ at her! And then he asked her if she knew what else was living in his house. When she replied that she knew that _you_ were living there too, he told her that if she knew _that_, then why would she _ever_ think he'd go _anywhere_ with _her_!"

Mr. Burko looked sternly at Sally, who was blushing. "Now, there's no doubt, of course, Sally, that you are more attractive than any of the girls living in our town. But seeing as he is your _cousin_, we thought that was a bit of a… _peculiar_… comment!"

"I'm… I'm sure he didn't mean it that way," Sally replied. But of course she knew better. "Anyway, I really must go, Mr. Burko. It was nice talking to you! Hope you have a nice day!"

Sally quickly rushed off, Mr. Burko staring after her as she left.

----------

"I heard you made a bit of an impression in town," Sally called to her father when she got home.

He laughed coldly. "Stupid Muggles. I would have killed them but for the fact that it would have attracted too much attention from the ministry. They are highly annoying."

"And you didn't think that performing the Cruciatus Curse on some of the kids would attract the ministry?"

"That was _not_ the Cruciatus Curse. And the ministry will not know anything about it, as there was no wand involved." He folded his arms again, and sighed deeply. "Sally, you continue to _insult_ me." He looked sharply at her. "Had you not been my daughter…"

Sally looked up. "Then what?"

"I am _easy _on you, Sally. _Too_ easy, perhaps. I may have to be stricter." He looked at her for a few moments, his eyes glowing. Then he turned around and left the room.


	57. No Secrets

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was excited that evening. The next day she would start her training as a healer! It was supposed to take two years, but she knew she had to speed that up somehow. She _did_ still wonder why her father wanted her to be a healer. She assumed it was somehow part of a greater plan, and she supposed she would find out when the time was right.

Then her father entered her room. "You have _both_ Nagini and Feruca now?"

"They like to be together. Feruca seems to think of Nagini as her mother."

He looked at the two snakes, who were curled up together. He grinned slyly. "So… then the 'daughter' likes to sleep with her parent, hmm?"

Sally blushed again.

"Maybe next time you can stay a little longer and we can have some fun?"

She looked away from him. "_That_ is why I _left_," she replied.

"Yeah, I guess you had enough of that at Hogwarts, didn't you?" he said, folding his arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me you didn't do anything with Draco, then."

She looked at him. "I didn't."

The next thing she knew, she had fallen to the floor. He had his wand out. "_Liar_!" he shouted at her. "You _dare_ lie to me?"

She carefully looked up at him. He looked furious. His eyes were burning and she saw a sliver of red shining in them.

Then, slowly, a faint smile appeared on his face. "_Get up_, Sally. Let's see how well you can _keep_ lying!"

She got up slowly. He moved his wand and she flew backwards onto the bed.

"Leave, you two," he hissed at the snakes, who promptly slithered off the bed and left the room. The door slammed shut behind them. "Let's see how you deal with _this_," he said, as he cast a spell on her.

It was another one of his _special_ spells. Her face started glowing. She started feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed right away.

"Feel good, Sally?" he said with a sadistic grin. He paused for effect. "Now, I want you to talk to me about your examinations. Let's start with, say, History of Magic. Tell me some of the questions you had on your exam."

"W… what?" she said, highly confused. "But… but I… I can't!" She took a deep breath. "Not right now!"

"_Especially_ now, Sally. Just _concentrate_. Now, start."

Sally tried to concentrate. But how could she concentrate? How could she think about History of Magic, when her body was experiencing those kinds of feelings? She closed her eyes and tried her hardest.

"Wh… who was the… the… the leader… of… of the," she gasped. "Of the… the goblin… rebellion in… in 17… 1739?" she splurted out. Her eyes flew open as the feeling intensified.

He got on the bed next to her, bent over her and stared into her eyes. "_Keep_ your eyes _open_. Now, what was the _answer_ to that question?

Oh my goodness, she thought to herself. Oh my goodness! He was piercing into her mind, trying to get to the hidden pieces of information in there. She had to… she had to stop him! He couldn't see what was there! But the feeling, the feeling. _How_ could she possibly concentrate on _anything_, when she was feeling like _that_?"

"_Answer the question_, Sally. Who was the leader of the Goblin Rebellion in 1739?"

"D… d... " she stammered. She had a hard enough time protecting her memories. She couldn't _possibly_ answer those questions at the same time!

"Uh-uh. It does not start with a D. _Think_, Sally, _think_!"

She was starting to sweat. She was still protecting her memories, but she could feel him probe into them. He _wanted_ to get to them. Which of course was the reason why he was distracting her! But she couldn't give in! She moved her face to the side, but he grabbed her chin and roughly moved her face towards him again. She swallowed hard.

"It… it was… " she called out, in a high-pitched voice. "It was… E…Erwin the… the…"

At that point, he gently touched her with his wand, and she felt like a tidal wave came crashing over her.

"Oh, Merlin! Ohhhhhhhhh… oh goodness, _no_!" she cried out.

And at that exact moment, he broke into her hidden memories. She was fully exposed. And there was absolutely _nothing_ she could do about it! He moved his hand around between her legs in an attempt to make the feeling last as long as possible. To give him extra time. Enough time to see everything she had so carefully hidden from him. _Everything_…

As she lay there, gasping and panting, recovering, she knew she was in _big_ trouble. He looked murderous. He stared at her for a while.

Then he narrowed his eyes and started talking. "Wrong answer, Sally." He was smiling lightly and spoke in a very soft voice, which, for some reason, scared her more than if he had been shouting. "It was _not_ 'Erwin the oh Merlin'. In fact, it wasn't even an 'Erwin', was it? _Who_ was it, Sally?"

"Hobgor the Invincible," she replied, trembling now.

He raised his eyebrows. "So you _do_ know the answer! Well, now that your brain seems to have become unfogged, let us see if you actually know the correct answer to some of my _other_ questions too."

He gave her a menacing look. "How _long_ did you resist him, Sally? How long did you resist Draco, before you finally let him _have_ you?"

Sally didn't answer.

"Answer me!" he shouted.

"I… I didn't… " she stammered.

"Damn right you didn't! It was the other way around, was it? You were _seducing_ him, were you not? You were barely out of _my_ house, out of _my_ bed, when you were _begging_ him to _take_ you! On the train, Sally, on the train? You couldn't even wait until you got there!"

His eyes were glowing bright red now, he looked positively evil. He got up and walked away from her. Then he turned around and came back. He seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

"So. Draco wants to meet me, right?"

Sally looked shocked at this. "W…What?" she gasped.

An evil smile appeared on his face. "Why don't you invite him over, Sally? He wants to live with you, does he not?"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "Why don't we let him? How about _that_, Sally? Would you like that? We can send Perglassis out right now! I reckon he will be here in… hmmm, let's say, half an hour?"

"W… what will you do to him?"

He laughed softly. "It won't be _me_, Sally. It will be _you_ who will be doing things to him."

He paused for a moment, and she saw a sickening look of evil pleasure in his eyes, as he appeared to be thinking up all sorts of horrible things to do to Draco.

"I am not so sure he will enjoy it as much this time, though," he said, feigning concern.

"I… I will _never_ do _anything_ to hurt him!" she cried out.

He grinned. "Well, we shall see about that! Let's write that letter first."

He waved his wand and a piece of parchment and quill appeared in front of her eyes. "Go on, Sally. Write him a letter. Invite him! Tell him your 'cousin' can't _wait_ to meet him!" He laughed.

"No."

"No? You don't want to invite him? Why, have you given up on him? Finally?"

She spoke with tears in her eyes. "I _have_. You _know_ I told him it was over! You must have seen _that_ memory too! I picked, didn't I? I could have gone with him and left you here by yourself. But I didn't, did I? I chose to be with you! Even though I love him! Even though I've loved him ever since the first day he and I were together!"

She took a deep breath as tears were falling down her face. "But I made my decision! The time I spent with him at Hogwarts was like a goodbye. I knew it wasn't going to last. I've known that since the day I brought _you_ back to life!"

She turned to face him. "I could have been with _him_. I could have spent the rest of my life with him! Easily. I've had so much opportunity for that! I could have picked _him_ over _you_ on many, many, occasions! And yet, I didn't!"

He stared suspiciously at her.

"First of all, I could have not told you anything, last Easter, about Harry Potter trying to destroy your horcruxes. In which case you would have been _truly_ dead after the Battle of Hogwarts! And _I_ would have been living at Malfoy Manor now. With Draco!"

He scoffed.

"And second, I didn't _have_ to bring you back. I could have left you the way you were, and no one would ever have known. Everybody would have thought you were _dead_, and you may _never_ have got back to life!

"Then lastly, I could have left you _after_ that, when you… when you decided to _rape_ me after I brought you back! I could have ignored you and _not_ gone to the meeting point: this house. And there would have been little you could have done about that since you cannot show yourself!"

He gave her a bored look. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was wonderful, Sally, thank you so much. You saved me." He looked sarcastic. "But if you think I'm going to be forever in your debt now, and will let you do whatever you like without any retribution…"

"Just… just leave Draco alone!" she said, desperately.

"No. You need to be punished. I have been letting you get away with _far_ too much lately. Write your letter!"

She shook her head. "No… _please_!" she begged.

"_Now!_"

She bit her lip, but didn't do anything. He let out an angry groan, and waved his wand. Next thing she knew, she had grabbed the quill, and began to move it over the piece of parchment in front of her.

"_No, father_! Please don't do this!" she yelled, as, with horror, she saw her own hand forming letters into words. "I'll do anything you ask! Anything! Please, I promise, promise, you won't regret it! I promise!"

"Come _on_, Sally. You have already tried that once. I went for it then. But I am beyond that now! There is _nothing_ that you can offer me that I haven't already had."

Her face pulled into a grimace. Her letter was almost finished! She had to do something, something! Or… or something _terrible_ would happen to Draco! She took a deep breath.

"There _is_. There is _something_ I can give you that you will want. Something you _haven't_ had before."

He gave her a disbelieving look. "Sure," he said, as she finished writing the letter.

It rolled itself up and flew into Voldemort's hands. He whistled, and she heard a faint hoot in the distance.

"There is, there is! I swear! Something that may help you get your powers back!"

He turned sharply. "What?"

She held out a trembling hand. "M… my letter, please?"

He held it up, just out of her reach. "What do you have for me, Sally?"

"I will tell you, just… just give me back my letter!"

"Tell me first. If it _is_ worthwhile, you get your letter back and Draco will continue living in one piece, for now. If it is not…" Perglassis had just arrived, and stuck out his paw. Voldemort looked at him and smirked. "If it is _not_, Perglassis gets the letter. So, Sally, what have you got for me?"

Sally took another deep breath. "The Deathly Hallows," she whispered.

His mouth fell open. "What?" he gasped, as he stared at her.

She looked right at him. "I have them. All three of them."

"You have the Elder Wand?" he breathed.

She nodded.

"And you are its rightful owner? It works the way it is supposed to, for you?"

She nodded again.

"You have the stone and the cloak too?"

"Yes," she said, softly.

"How did you get them?"

Sally told him.

He started laughing. He was laughing out loud, now . "Sally! Sally, Sally, Sally! My daughter, finally! Finally you are showing initiative and cunning! I was beginning to think you hadn't gotten _any_ of that from me!"

He stopped laughing and looked intently at her. "But I was clearly wrong." Then he laughed again. "You actually _stole_ the cloak from Potter! You _stole_ it! And you _desecrated_ Dumbledore's grave to get the Elder Wand!" He looked at her with great amusement and apparent pride. "Come here."

She moved a little closer. He held up the letter, which caught on fire, and within moments, had gone up in smoke. Sally felt immense relief spreading over her at the sight of it.

"Now… show me your prize possessions."

Sally dug them up. She gave him the cloak first.

"Nice. To make the three complete. Not very useful other than that."

Then she handed him the stone.

He looked at the stone, with glee on his face. "Bellatrix," he mumbled.

Then, suddenly, Bellatrix Lestrange was standing in front of them, and a smile appeared on Voldemort's face. "Bellatrix! My most faithful Death Eater!" he exclaimed.

"Master," Bellatrix said, as she kneeled before him.

His eyes were gleaming red. "I will call you back again later, Bella. Right now, I have no use for you."

"Yes, my Lord."

"You may go."

"As you wish, Master."

Sally was astounded, that of all the people he could have called back, it would have had to be _her_! She felt nauseous. Fortunately, she was gone now.

"Now, Sally. The _best_ one of the three!"

She handed him the wand. His eyes shone with longing and desire as he looked at it. "The Elder Wand," he whispered. "_My_ wand!"

"Actually," Sally said. "It… it is _mine_."

"Yes, yes, I know," he said impatiently. He reluctantly handed it back to her.

"Can I… can I have the stone back, too?" she asked, carefully.

He frowned. "Why?"

"I…" she stammered. "I… I don't like her."

He started laughing. "You don't _like_ her? Who, Sally? Bella?"

She nodded.

He laughed even louder now. Then he stopped and rounded on her. "Sally? Are you… _jealous_?"

She stared at him. What was he talking about?

He grinned. "Sally. I believe that you _are_! Maybe not in the way that I would _like_ you to be, though. But still."

He chuckled. "Did you know I used to _have_ Bellatrix occasionally, Sally, before _you_ came along? Or, to be more precise, until you and me started… having '_fun'_, together?" He laughed. "I _do_ believe Bellatrix was quite, er… _attached_ to me."

She stared at him with wide open eyes. "But… but… she… she was married, wasn't she?"

"Ah, yes, to Rudolphus, of course. But that does not _matter_, Sally, just like it does not matter that _you_ are my _daughter_. I do what I please anyway."

She narrowed her eyes. "You… you weren't… jealous of him?"

"Jealous?" he laughed. "Jealous, _me_? Sally, they were my _servants_, both of them! Why would I be jealous of a servant? No, Sally. To be jealous, I would have actually had to _care_ about her!" Then he paused for a second. "Well, I _did_ care about her, of course, as she was my most accomplished Death Eater. Other than Snape, who turned out to be a traitor."

A shadow briefly fell over his face, but then it was gone. "She happened to be conveniently there. And very willing." He gave her a snide look. "_Without_ any potions." Then he laughed again.

"But… but…" she stammered. "Then why are you jealous of _me_?"

He stopped laughing. "Why, Sally. Isn't that _obvious_?"

She gave him a puzzled look.

"You are my _daughter_, Sally! I care about _you_, obviously."

She stared at him in disbelief. "But… but if you cared about me as a _daughter_, you'd be _happy_ that I had found someone I loved and who loved _me_!"

"Why, so he can take you away from me?" he sneered. "No, Sally, I want you with me, _forever_." He grinned. "And you _will_ be. I will take care of you, _always._ And you won't have to miss out on _anything_. _I_ can give you whatever _he_ can give you. _And more_."

He paused a second, then laughed softly. "And _better_, too." He turned to face her. "Anyway, it is time for bed. You have an important day tomorrow. Go get ready. Then come sleep with me."

"What?"

He took a step towards her and gently stroked her cheek. He laughed. "Don't worry. We shall sleep like father and daughter, tonight." He turned around to look at the door. "Like Nagini and Feruca. No more than that."

"Oh, okay," she said, relieved.

Then he turned around and left.

Sally did as she was told, she got ready, then went to his room and crawled into bed with him. He actually seemed to stick to his word this time, and just held her close to him all night until the break of dawn. When morning came, he left. He was out of the room before she was.

----------

Sally started her healer training that day. She decided that, even though it was not her first choice of career, that she would do the best she could. She would also do as her father told her, try to shorten the length of the training as much as possible. So on the first day she found out exactly what the curriculum was for the two years that the training was supposed to take, and she got as many books as she could find that dealt with the stuff she was supposed to learn in those two years. She would do as much extra studying as she could.

A few days after she started her training, Sally decided to check on the Deathly Hallows, and found that they were no longer where she had hidden them.

She _ran_ to Voldemort. "Father! Father!" she cried out.

"Yes, Sally, what is it?"

"The Hallows! I… I can't find them! Did you…"

He looked at her as if she had gone mad. "I _took_ them, of course. Did you think I was just going to leave them with _you_?" he laughed.

"But… but they were _mine_!"

"Yes, they _were_. But they are _mine_, now! And the Elder Wand finally works for me the way it is supposed to."

She gave him a foul look. "Yes, because you _took_ it from me without my permission!"

"Exactly." He continued laughing, and pinched her cheeks. "But do not worry, Sally, they are in good hands."

Somehow, she doubted that.

----------

Most of Sally's evenings and weekends were now filled with studying. At night, occasionally, she would sleep with her father. But it was okay, as he seemed to have resigned himself to doing nothing more but _sleep_ with her, and she was perfectly happy about that.


	58. Aurors in Training

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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In the mean time, Harry, Ron and Hermione had all started their auror training. Things were going very well for them, too. They were progressing nicely in their training, and life was a lot easier now that they no longer had to worry about Voldemort.

Of course, they learned quickly enough during their training that there were other threats out there. There were other dark wizards. None of them anywhere near as powerful and dangerous as Voldemort, but powerful enough to form a threat. And it would become their job to seek out and find these wizards (or witches), and stop them from doing their evil deeds.

They were being trained to keep their eyes and ears out for unusual situations, since those people would often hide until the 'right time', the time for them to take action. And the most successful way to stop them was to catch them _before_ that time had come, _before_ they had the time to create havoc.

The aurors were currently concentrating on rounding up all of Voldemort's old supporters. They were having a hard time, since those that hadn't been captured immediately, were on the run and were trying their best to evade capture. In addition, once again some of the captured were claiming to having been under the Imperius Curse. It was the aurors' job to prove their guilt.

Unfortunately, since quite a few of the best aurors had been killed during the war with Voldemort, they were under a lot of stress, and were in a hurry to train such important hopefuls as Harry, Ron and Hermione, to strengthen their ranks. And of course, the now famous threesome was keen to live up to their fame, and tried their hardest to come up to scratch and become full-blown aurors.

After about 2 ½ months of training, though, a bit of news reached the auror department.

"Harry, Ron, have you heard the latest news?" cried Hermione, as she entered the training room at the ministry.

Harry and Ron obviously hadn't, as they shook their heads.

"Do you remember that Sally Perks had decided to become a healer, and went off to start her healer training at the end of school?"

"Yes," replied Harry. "So?"

"Well," laughed Hermione. "She's been doing unusually well!"

"Surprise, surprise," said Ron, with sarcasm in his voice. "Who'd have thought _that_, considering she was doing so _horrible_ at school?"

Hermione looked at him with a foul look in her eyes. "Ha ha, Ron. I _know_ she was doing very well in school! But what she's done _now_, is absolutely unheard of! She did something _nobody_ has ever done before!"

Harry looked at her with interest. "Well, what is it, Hermione?"

"Apparently, she _already_ completed her healer training. In _two months_!"

Harry frowned, and Ron looked shocked.

"Er… isn't that supposed to take more than a year, or so?" Ron said.

"Two years, actually," said Hermione.

"But how is that possible? Don't they follow a structured lesson plan that is supposed to take the full two years?" said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione. "She was _following_ the lesson plan. But the way I understand it, is that after two months she told them that she was ready to take the final exam. She said she had been doing a lot of studying herself, at home. They refused at first, but she insisted, and finally let her do it, just as a joke. Nobody expected her to pass."

"But she did?" Harry asked.

"Flawlessly, apparently," Hermione said. "Didn't make a single mistake! They had no option but to give her her qualification after that. So now she's a full-blown healer! Assistant to one of the most famous current healers, Healer McFallow."

"Wow," said both Harry and Ron.

"That _is_ impressive, even for _her_," admitted Ron.

"Funny, isn't it," said Hermione. "I never even thought she was at all interested in healing, during our school years."

"Me neither," said Harry. "That is, until I spoke to a few of the people who had been fighting alongside her, during the Battle of Hogwarts."

Both Ron and Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"Well," said Harry. "What I understood from them is that apparently she refused to attack anybody. She wouldn't cast anything that would cause any kind of pain, or damage. Even though she knew the most spells, and was best at them, she didn't do any of it! All she did, was defend and protect. And she _did_ do a _great_ job there! She saved many, many lives!"

He paused for a second. "She even stopped a few people from the other side from getting killed."

Ron gasped. "Did she _really_?"

"Yes."

"I see," said Hermione. "I guess it all makes sense, then."

"What?" said Ron and Harry in unison now.

"Well," said Hermione. "She seemed awfully sad, after the battle. Whereas everyone else was celebrating Voldemort's demise, I found her, after the battle, in the room were all the bodies were laid out. She was crying over all the dead." Hermione paused. "I think she may have made the decision to become a healer shortly after that. I know Professor McGonagall asked her if she was interested in becoming an auror, and she refused. I think she does not want to hurt people, good _or_ bad, and therefore decided to do the opposite! She wants to _heal_, not hurt!"

Everybody was quiet for a few moments after that. Hermione's reasoning sure made sense.

"Yes, I think you may be right," said Harry.

"We probably can expect great advances in the healing profession now," said Hermione.

"Yeah," said Ron. "I know who _I_'d want to see if I were to get sick, now!"

Hermione laughed. "You and everybody else who read about her incredible achievement!"

----------

A few weeks later a terrible disease broke out in the wizarding world. A dozen or so people got seriously ill, a handful were at death's door, and two actually _died_. Everybody seemed baffled where this disease came from, and what had caused it. People were scared, and the best healers in the world were working day and night to find a cure.

But in the end, it was McFallow who found that cure. A few people, who were expected to die, recovered thanks to his treatment. Of course, in some small way, he had been assisted in his endeavors by his new, very young assistant, Ms. Sally-Anne Perks. A fact that had been left out of most articles about the illness since it seemed to be nothing but a minor detail, especially in the light of the severity of the outbreak.

Just a day after the news of the successful treatment of the illness, commonly called 'Vessel Fever', since the blood vessels of the patient would eventually swell and discolor, came another news article from the office of Healer McFallow:

* * *

**McFallow Suggests Vessel Fever caused by You-Know-Who, Recommends Vaccination**

McFallow, the brilliant healer who managed to cure 11 people sick with Vessel Fever, recommends a vaccination for everyone. Apparently, according to McFallow, who gave a press conference last night, Vessel Fever is a complicated illness to fight, and even after successfully curing someone, there may be a recurrence of the illness in later years, which will be even harder, if not impossible_,_ to cure.

But Healer McFallow has now developed a remedy which will help prevent the illness from occurring altogether. He recommends that every grown-up witch and wizard in the country (apparently small children and Muggles are not affected) comes to his office to receive the vaccination. Apparently the vaccination is 100% effective and easy to administer. It consists of a mere pill that needs to be swallowed. However, it is important to ensure that the patient hasn't _already_ contracted the disease, since if they _have_, the vaccine will cause more harm than good.

McFallow has therefore instated a team of assistants to help him deal with the emergency. He invites everybody to come to his office for a blood test to check for the existence of the disease. Should they have contracted the disease already, he will personally treat them. Otherwise, they will receive the vaccine.

Because of the severity of the disease and the potential consequences, the ministry of magic has agreed to cover all costs involved with the blood test as well as the vaccine.

Small children (under 11 years of age) are not affected by the disease and may therefore be spared the blood test. McFallow hopes to have eradicated the disease within a few weeks, provided _everyone_ cooperates with his request.

McFallow also states that the disease, according to his research, is caused by a specific type of dark magic. People who've been in the vicinity of Hogwarts during the famous battle involving the late Dark Wizard Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, are most likely to have been affected. McFallow was hinting at the possibility of the illness actually having been purposely caused by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the dark magic required for its initiation somehow cleverly having been released upon his death.

* * *

After the article came out, there was a rush on the office of McFallow where people would appear in droves to have their blood checked. McFallow had many assistants who would take their blood, fill out paperwork to go with the blood work and leave the blood for testing in a specially designated area. They were told that Healer McFallow would inspect their blood samples, and they would be informed if they had the disease. If they didn't hear from the office, they were told to come by in a few days to receive the vaccine.

Except that Healer McFallow was under the Imperius Curse, and it was actually Sally-Anne Perks who checked the blood samples. Not for _illness_, however, but for their appearance in a certain list…

Vessel Fever didn't actually exist. Or rather, it wasn't an infectious disease. And the vaccine was nothing more than a harmless vitamin pill.

----------

A week after the article came out, Sally brought home another batch of blood samples.

"How did you do, today?" inquired her father.

"Great!" replied Sally. "Another four today! Two more and we have everyone on the list."

His eyes were glowing. "Excellent! Not long now."

But Sally's eyes glazed over somewhat. "But why did you have to kill those two people? Why couldn't we have just 'cured' everyone?"

"Don't be silly, Sally. If no one dies, no one will pay attention. It _had_ to be done. In fact, I think we should have killed off quite a few more to _scare_ them more! We might have had them _all_ by now."

Sally sighed, handed over the vials and went back to her studying. She knew the identity of the final two people, and she secretly hoped that they would take their time. She was extremely concerned about what would happen if they managed to get the blood of everyone on the list. Her father had ensured her he just did this so he could defend himself, should he ever have to face any of them. He claimed he no longer had any intention of ruling the world.

Somehow, though, despite his words, Sally felt concerned.

----------

Sally got her wish. The final two, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, did not turn up at the Healer's office. Voldemort, who also knew the identity of the missing two now, got frustrated after a few days and informed Sally he would perform the ceremony _without_ them. He would then continue to wait for them, and as soon as they came in, perform the ceremony again. That way, at least the two in question would be the only ones he would have to avoid.

And so it happened, the ceremony was performed. Not just on Voldemort, but also on Sally, as he didn't want to run the risk of losing the blood link between them. Therefore everything that happened to _his_ blood, had to happen to _hers_, too.

After the ceremony Voldemort seemed ecstatic. However, nothing really changed in their lives, and they continued to wait for Ron and Hermione to come to the Healer's office.


	59. Trainees' Assignment

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Shortly after the article came out Harry, Ron and Hermione received a special practice assignment. They were to try and find possible locations of supporters of Voldemort, and investigate all areas that were associated with him to try and expose _any_ dark activity. Malfoy Manor, the obvious location, was excluded since that had been searched and turned upside down many times after the war had ended. The same was true for Hogwarts and its surrounding areas.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had been discussing the places to go to. They decided that Ron would go to the forest in Albania, Harry would investigate the "Cave" again, and Hermione would investigate the village of Little Hangleton. Those would be the places they would start. Should they not find any dark activity in those places, they would get back together and discuss other places to go.

And so it was that Hermione arrived in the village of Little Hangleton. She started her search at the house of the Gaunts, and soon found that no dark magic appeared to be in existence there anymore.

Consequently, she decided to check up on the Riddle House. When she reached the boundaries of the grounds, she ran into a high fence with warning signs. Apparently visitors were _not_ welcome! Hermione frowned when she saw this, since it would suggest that the Riddle House was now _occupied_.

Hermione could, of course, try to force entry into the house via magic, but if it really was legitimately occupied, then she didn't want to do that. It was possible that the house had been sold, after all. So she decided to investigate the neighborhood instead, and do some research there.

Once she got to the town Hermione walked into the candy store. She bought some candy and started a conversation with the lady operating the store.

"Good afternoon, Miss," Hermione said in a friendly tone.

"Good afternoon," said the lady with a smile. "A stranger in town? What brings you to our lovely village, Miss? Are you on your way through?"

"I work for a Real Estate firm," Hermione replied. "And I was wondering about that large house at the edge of the town. Do you happen to know if it's for sale? I have a buyer looking for something similar."

"The Riddle House, you mean?" said the lady. She laughed. "Oh, no, I don't believe the owner is selling!"

"Do you happen to know who the owner _is_?" Hermione asked, while trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Sure I do. It's Sally Riddle, the old Riddle's granddaughter! She's living there with her cousin Tom. We just call them Tom and Sally Riddle, even though we're not completely sure if that's also _his_ last name."

Hermione stared at her, her eyes opened wide. She was shocked beyond belief.

"T… Tom and Sally _Riddle_?" she stammered. "Do you… do you know what they look like?"

"Of course. The girl's been in here many times! She's a _real_ sweetheart. Lovely girl, slim posture, long, golden blonde hair, hazel eyes, beautiful face."

Hermione gasped. The lady had just described Sally Perks! What was _she_ doing in the Riddle House?

"And… and _he_?" she whispered.

The lady's face went dark. She was no longer smiling. "Him!" she exclaimed. "Not so nice, I'm afraid. Nothing like _her_! Horrible personality. Mean, nasty."

She paused for a moment and swallowed, giving Hermione a disapproving look. "He looks like the old Riddle's double, though. _Very_ handsome. But he's strange! Weird things happen around him. _Bad_ things." The lady shivered. "I would stay away from him if I were you. He's got this weird look in his eyes, too. Some people swear they've seen a red sort of glow in it!"

Now Hermione's heart was racing. 'Sweet Merlin,' she thought, as fear started overtaking her.

"Does he… does he seem much older than her?"

Hermione had expected her to say yes, and was surprised at the lady's answer.

"No, they're close in age, I think. He may be a few years older than her, but not much."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She snorted. Somehow, for a moment, she had thought Voldemort had been back and was living in the Riddle House with Sally Perks! But that was ridiculous, of course, and fortunately not the case. He must be the cousin she had talked about before. But why was she living in the _Riddle House_ with her cousin? And why did he look so much like Voldemort's father? And what was this about Sally Perks being the granddaughter of Voldemort's father?

"You were saying that she is the old Riddle's granddaughter, right?" said Hermione.

"Yes," said the lady.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, it's what the attorney determined, when she came here. I'm assuming that those attorneys know what they are doing!"

"Do you know the name of the attorney?"

"Oh, yes! He's right here in town!"

And the lady pointed Hermione in the direction of the attorney's office. Hermione thanked the lady politely, and wasted no time going to the office she had indicated.

There, she found out pretty soon that the attorney had been confunded. There was _no_ real proof available that Sally was, indeed, the old man's granddaughter, and therefore the truthful heir of the Riddle Estate.

This made Hermione breathe a little easier. But there were still many, many open questions here. Why would Sally pretend? And, most of all, _who was this mysterious cousin?_

Hermione went back to the ministry immediately after that, and as soon as she got the opportunity, discussed the situation with Harry and Ron. Everybody agreed that the situation was _highly_ suspicious, and needed to be investigated into more depth.

The cousin was discussed _over_ and _over_ again.

"So he looks like the old Tom Riddle, you said?" said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"Then he must be related to Voldemort."

"Yes. Or to his _father_, at least."

"But he's also related to Sally."

"Yes, he's her cousin."

"He's also a wizard."

"Yes, and apparently a _really_ good one, according to those Ravenclaw girls."

Nobody said anything for a while. Everybody thought they knew what that meant, but was hesitating to say it out loud.

"But if he's a wizard, he must be related to the _magic_ side of Voldemort," Harry began finally.

"Yes," said Hermione. "But he _looks_ like the non-magic side!"

Harry swallowed. "Which means, that he must be descendent _directly_ from… _him_."

"Yes," whispered Hermione.

"His… his _son_?" stammered Ron.

"It appears so," said Hermione.

"I don't see any other possibility," said Harry.

Everybody looked quiet, and pale.

"But why did we never hear of him before?" said Hermione.

"Yes, that is very strange," said Harry. "You'd think he would have gone to Hogwarts, right?"

"He _did_, according to those Ravenclaw girls!"

"But the teachers would have remembered him then, wouldn't they? Obviously his name is Tom Riddle. That would ring a bell, wouldn't it? Plus the fact that he actually _looks_ like the younger Voldemort?"

"True," said Hermione. "And apparently he has exceptional abilities too, just like Voldemort. It doesn't make sense, they would have known. It must have been a lie; he couldn't have gone to Hogwarts!"

"But then, where _did_ he go?"

There was silence.

"Sally apparently has been talking about him to her friends ever since she got to Hogwarts for the first time, though."

"So _she_ must know where he went to school!" said Ron.

"She told us she thought he was a Muggle. Up until this summer, when she found out that there _was_ magic in her family. She said her grandmother was magic."

"Her and her cousin must have had the same grandmother," said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione. "His mother must have been the sister of Sally's mom or dad."

Another silence.

"Sally also told us she accidentally ran into Voldemort over the summer, and that's when everything started to go downhill for her. He killed her father, and then she had to live with them at Malfoy Manor, and he started training her," said Hermione.

"So that was at the same time as she found out that she had magic in her family," said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"His son must have been with him when he ran into Sally," said Ron. "And of course he recognized her right away, and told Voldemort she was his cousin."

"So, cousin 'Tom', apparently pretended to be a Muggle for a while," said Harry.

"But then where did he learn how to do magic?" said Ron.

"Home schooling maybe?" said Hermione.

"From who?" said Harry.

"Voldemort?" said Ron.

Hermione scoffed. "But he wasn't around for ten or so years!"

"Well, maybe in that time he studied by himself?"

"Yes," said Harry. "And then, when Voldemort came back, he picked it back up again?"

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "Possibly, possibly. But all this is guesswork. We're not even sure if he really _is_ Voldemort's son!"

"Seems the only option, though," said Harry.

"But why did Sally pretend to be the old Tom Riddle's granddaughter, when the _real_ grandson was out there with her?" said Hermione.

"He doesn't want to be known," said Harry. "He wants to keep out of the limelight."

"Which is _very_ suspicious," said Ron.

"Not really," frowned Hermione. "Right now would not be a very good time to admit you were Voldemort's son, would it?"

"No," said Harry and Ron in unison.

"Exactly," said Hermione. "We're all assuming they're up to something bad. But what if they're not? We all know _Sally_ isn't bad, do we?"

Harry and Ron nodded.

"So what if cousin 'Tom' just wants to hide because he doesn't want people to know he's the son, because people will automatically assume he's _evil_?"

There was silence again.

"We need to talk to Sally," said Hermione finally.

"Yes, obviously," said Harry. "No use guessing. We should just ask her."

"Provided she's willing to tell," said Ron.

"We'll have to tell her all _we_ know," said Harry. "There's no reason why she wouldn't tell us the truth then, if we promise her to keep it a secret."

"You're right," said Ron.

So they all agreed that _that_ was the way forward, they would talk to Sally.

However, when they discussed this with the other aurors, they agreed about the talk, but insisted they would actually _hold_ her for questioning. They didn't know Sally and didn't want to take any risks. They would hold her until they knew everything.

By this time, though, it was late in the afternoon. Harry suggested to get to her in the morning in that case, but the aurors insisted it had to be done right away, even if that meant holding her overnight. The sooner the better, they decided.

So that afternoon Harry, Ron and Hermione turned up at the office of Healer McFallow.

"By the way," said Harry. "Did you guys have your blood tested yet?"

"No," said Hermione. "I've been too busy with this assignment."

"Me too," said Ron.

"You should," said Harry. "We don't want you guys sick."

They entered the building. "Are you here to have your blood taken?" said a friendly lady at the desk.

"No, not yet," said Hermione. "We'll be back for that later. We need to talk to Healer Perks right now."

"Healer Perks?" said the lady. "Certainly! I'll be back in a moment."

While she was gone, someone came out of the 'Blood room', having just had a blood sample taken. She immediately spotted the famous aurors-in-training, and quickly sneaked back into the 'Blood room' unnoticed.

It was Rita Skeeter.

Sally saw the three in her office, and greeted them happily. None of them noticed the beetle that had flown in with the threesome, and was now perched on the windowsill.

"Hermione! Harry! Ron!" Sally exclaimed. "How nice to see you all! Are you here to have your blood taken?"

"Er… no," said Hermione.

"No?" said Sally, with a frown. "I believe you guys should, though! Harry's been here already, but you, Hermione, and you, Ron, haven't been yet."

"Yes, yes, we will at some point," said Hermione. "But right now we need to ask you some questions, Sally."

Sally smiled at them. "Sure. Fire away!"

"Actually, Sally," Harry said. "We have to do this at our office at the ministry. The aurors want to be there to."

"The aurors?" said Sally with a frown. "What is this about then? Did I do anything bad?" She giggled.

"Just… just some questions we need to ask you, Sally," Harry said.

"Well, er… it's almost time to go home. Can we do this tomorrow morning, perhaps? I'll come straight to the ministry, then."

"No," said Hermione. "You'll have to come with us _now_. Sorry, Sally, but those are our orders."

Sally looked puzzled. "Oh, alright then. But I'm living with my cousin. He'll wonder where I am if I don't come home tonight. Can I send him a message, at least?"

Harry shook his head vigorously. "No! No communication with your cousin! He'll just have to wonder for a little while. You should be back soon."

Sally raised her eyebrows. "He won't be happy about _that_! I guess I don't have an option?"

"No," said Hermione. "I'm afraid you don't, Sally."

And so the four of them left for the ministry.


	60. Interrogation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Once at the ministry, Sally was placed in a room with all the aurors, including Harry, Ron and Hermione, present. She was asked many questions about her cousin.

"Sally," Hermione started. "We need to know _all_ about your cousin."

Sally frowned. "Why? Did he do anything?"

"No," said Harry. "We're just a little concerned about who he really is."

Sally stared at them in surprise.

"Sally," said one of the aurors. "Is your cousin related to You-Know-Who?"

Sally looked up at him with a shock. "Why… why do you ask?"

"We have good reason to believe that he _is_. You are living at the old Riddle House with him, are you not?"

Sally swallowed. They found out! Well, she guessed that was _bound_ to happen one day. "Yes," she replied softly.

"Yes, that _is_ where you live, or yes, he _is_ related to You-Know-Who?"

"Both."

Everyone in the room gasped. After a brief recovery period, the auror started again. "He's You-Know-Who's _son_, is he not?"

'What?' Sally thought to herself. Voldemort's _son_? Is _that_ what they thought? Well, at least that wouldn't be _quite_ as bad as the actual truth…

"Yes," she replied softly, as she stared at the floor.

Another gasp went up.

"_Yes_? Did you… did you just say that he _is_ You-Know-Who's son?"

"Yes," Sally said, louder this time.

"Why did you not tell us that before?"

Sally scoffed. "Nobody asked. And you may be able to see some reason as to why I didn't _volunteer_ that information?"

There was a moment of silence. Obviously _everyone_ could see reason in that.

"Anyway," said the auror again. "This is a _major_ threat to us, as you may understand! We are going to need to know _everything_ about him."

"Why? We do not choose our parents, do we? So we shouldn't be held responsible for our parents' crimes!" she exclaimed, heatedly.

The auror stared at her. "Nevertheless, we _do_ need to know. What's his full name?"

"Tom Riddle," Sally replied.

A shudder went through everyone in the room. Followed, once again, by silence.

"Named after his father, then?" said the auror finally.

"Yes."

"Who's his mother?"

"Part of _my_ family."

"What's _her_ name?"

"I'm sorry, I don't actually know. I have never known her."

"He's your cousin, so his mother must have been your aunt. Is she related to your mother's side or your father's side of the family?"

"My father's side, but why is that relevant?"

"_Everything_ is relevant, when it comes to You-Know-Who!"

Sally remained quiet.

"Is it true you thought your cousin to be a Muggle, up until last summer?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Where did he go to school?"

"Hogwarts."

"No, he _didn't_, Sally!"

"Didn't he?"

"No. There is _NO_ record of a second Tom Riddle ever attending Hogwarts."

"Oh," said Sally, simply.

"We know he _looks_ like the younger Voldemort. Even under a different name, don't you think the teachers would have noticed the resemblance, in particular since he appears to have inherited his father's skills?"

Sally shrugged. "I don't know about that."

"Are you sure he went to Hogwarts?"

She shrugged again. "He told me he did."

"Then he's lying to you."

"I won't deny that that's certainly a possibility."

"So he clearly has at least _some_ of Voldemort's evil characteristics, then?"

Sally smiled sarcastically. "Evil characteristics? I take it you have never lied to anyone? It's something only evil people do?"

"He will need to come in for questioning."

"He won't."

"Why not?"

"He just won't. He won't like being interrogated."

The auror looked at her suspiciously. "Then we will just have to arrest him!"

Sally scoffed. "Good luck with that!"

Now _everyone_ was looking at her suspiciously.

"Anyway," said Sally. "Can I go now?"

"No," said the auror. "No you can't. I'm afraid we have to hold you until we are _all_ convinced that your cousin is no _threat_ to anyone. I'm sorry."

"But that's ridiculous! How can you ever be convinced of that? You can't be convinced about that about anybody! People can turn, you know!"

"Whatever. We will be holding you here, for now. If he comes in and talks to us, you can go."

Sally sighed. "You'll be _much_ better off letting me go, so _I_ can talk to him!"

"So you can _warn_ him and he can go into hiding? I don't think so! We'll inform him ourselves, tomorrow. We will visit your home, and then he will come here for questioning, whether he likes it or not." Then, after a pause, he said, "We'll use force if necessary."

Sally looked white as a sheet now. This was bad. Voldemort would not be happy. Goodness knows what he would do!

"Get up, Sally," said the auror.

Sally got up, and he approached her. He stared into her eyes. Sally laughed secretly. He was performing Legilimency on her, she could feel it. He was _clearly_ an amateur. His attempts really _were_ laughable! Sally could make him believe whatever she wanted, she could make things up and he would believe it to be true, without much effort at all.

"She's telling the truth, about _everything_," the auror said to the others. "I can see it."

"Great," said Sally. "So let me go!"

"No, we can't. We _have_ to talk to your cousin first."

Sally sighed and sank back into her chair. They continued asking her questions. They now questioned her about her stay at Malfoy Manor, and her interactions with Voldemort there. She told them her cousin had been there on occasion, but hadn't actually been living there. Some of the people in the room left to go home and sleep, while the others remained to continue interrogating her. By the time morning came, the people who had left to go to sleep at first, came back, and the others left. They kept on questioning her, and Sally was exhausted. She wondered if they were _ever_ going to let _her_ sleep?

Other than starting it off, Harry, Ron and Hermione were not participating in the interrogation, they were merely observing. They hadn't been allowed to, since they were only aurors-in-training, and not full-blown aurors yet. By the time morning came they were sent home to go to bed too.

"What about Sally?" said Hermione. "She must be exhausted! Will she be allowed to sleep?"

"Not yet," said the auror. "She may, once we have her cousin."

Hermione frowned. That seemed kind of unfair to her, but she knew she shouldn't argue. So they all went home, and Sally was left with her initial interrogator and three others, answering question after question after question.

----------

That morning, the Daily Prophet ran a news article, about how 'Promising Young Healer Sally-Anne Perks' had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in dark magic, and was held by the auror department at the ministry. The article had been written by Rita Skeeter.

Voldemort read the article that same morning. He had wondered, of course, where Sally was, and why she hadn't come home, but had decided to wait it out. Now he knew. And he wasn't happy_._


	61. Havoc at the Ministry

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Hi all. I have noticed that the number of people who are reading this story is going up almost every week. That is great, I am very happy about that. However, few seem to leave reviews. I am a little sad about that, since I love reviews, they keep me going and give me some idea as to what people think of what I write. And even if it is not always positive, it helps.**

**I did receive a review lately from someone who told me a story should not have more chapters than readers. Well, I do seem to have the readers. Just not the reviews. Anyway, the person who wrote this review did not even read the story, so he/she has no right to judge. So if you leave me a review, please do at least read _some_ of my story first, otherwise the review is just not very useful.**

**So I wanted to ask everyone who reads this, to please leave me a review. Positive or negative, I don't care. Negative reviews will teach me how to improve as a writer, positive reviews are... well, they are nice. Very nice, in fact, as they always put a smile on my face.**

**So please, please, please, just drop me a line saying what you think... Thanks so much.**

**spauthor.**

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That morning somebody died at the entrance of the ministry, some poor woman was slain. Her coin, which would have given her access to the ministry, stolen. And moments later a hooded stranger entered the ministry.

He walked right up to the security desk. "Where's the auror department?"

The security guard looked up into the stranger's eyes, and an unusual glow came over him. "The auror department? Downstairs, second door to the right."

"That is where Sally Perks is held, right?" said the stranger.

"Yes," said the guard.

"Joe!" mumbled the other guard. "That's top secret information! You are not to…"

But he suddenly started to cough violently, and couldn't finish his sentence. He kept coughing and coughing, and didn't seem to be able to stop. There was a commotion, as people were coming over to try and help him. He was starting to turn blue. In the mean time, the stranger made his way over to the elevators and went downstairs.

Moments later the door to the auror department burst open. Four people died shortly after that. Everyone in the room, except for Sally. Sally gasped as she looked at the bodies of the aurors, littering the floor around her.

"Father!" she exclaimed, as she immediately recognized him, even while the hood of his cloak threw most of his face in shadow. "You… you killed them!"

He laughed coldly. "Well, what did you expect? Let's go."

He took her arm and pulled her along with him, out the door. Everyone they met on the way to the elevator, died. Once they got to the atrium, a bunch of people had gathered around the body of a security guard, who apparently had died after a severe coughing attack. People were so pre-occupied with this, that nobody saw Sally and Voldemort leave until they had almost reached the exit.

"Hey, that's Sally Perks! She's not supposed to leave! Stop her!"

It was one of the aurors who had just arrived back into the building. Immediately, about a dozen wands came out. But in the next moment everyone who had been holding a wand was blasted against the wall. Two more people died, while Voldemort and Sally exited the building and apparated back home.

"Oh sweet Merlin!" Sally cried out, once they were back home. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "You killed all those people! Why did you have to do that?"

Voldemort laughed. "Actually, it felt pretty good," he said, as he lovingly looked at the Elder Wand in his hand. "Finally, I am back! More powerful, even, than ever before. And the world will know it!"

----------

And the world did know it. Or at least, at that time, the ministry did. But it wasn't long until the news came out, and the rest of the world found out too. The Daily Prophet ran an extra afternoon edition describing the entrance into the ministry of a so-far unknown Dark Wizard, suspected to be You-Know-Who's son, who killed about a dozen people while retrieving his cousin, Sally Perks, who had been held there for questioning.

However, any Death Eaters that received this news, news that was heard even in Azkaban, where a lot of them resided, had a different take on this story. They knew that Voldemort had no son. They knew that he did have a daughter who went by the name of 'Sally Perks'. They also knew that a few days after Voldemort supposedly had been slain, their Dark Mark had been burning, and although at the time they didn't think it meant much, now they knew better. Their master was alive, and would be calling for them soon…

In the mean time, there were heavy discussions going on at the (greatly reduced) auror department. They realized they had no time to mourn their losses, this was serious. All aurors left were present; they were discussing what had happened, and what to do next.

"Clearly, there is no doubt now that the son is as evil as the father," said one of the aurors.

"And as powerful," said another.

"Well, he's obviously very powerful, but I think it's going a bit far to say he's as powerful as his father!" said another.

"We don't know that yet," said Harry. "Hard to tell from a first encounter."

"Yes, but what an encounter!" said Hermione, with tears in her eyes. "He slaughtered everyone in sight!"

"Yes, yes," said one of the aurors. "Certainly something You-Know-Who would do. Like father, like son, hmm?"

"We've got to do something!" said another.

"Yes, that is clear, we have to do something. But what?"

"We have to arrest him."

"Yes, it seems like we must. But who will?"

Everybody was quiet.

"We should all go," said Harry. "We know they live in the Riddle House. Let's go there!"

Still, everybody was quiet.

"Do we want to let him turn into the next Dark Lord?" said Hermione. "We must go!"

Quiet again.

"Ahem," one of the aurors finally said. "Our trainees are right. We have to go, like it or not."

Eventually, there was agreement. Nobody liked the thought, but they all realized they needed to at least try and do something, before things would get out of hand.

And so, at around 10 'o clock that night, a bell rang at the Riddle House. This was a sign for Voldemort and Sally that someone was at the gate. It was impossible for anyone to get any further than that without specific permission from Voldemort himself.

Voldemort raised his wand. "Who is there?" he called at it.

At the gate, where about a dozen aurors were assembled, including Harry, Ron and Hermione, they could hear Voldemort's voice loud and clear. A shiver ran through them. It was like being back at the Battle of Hogwarts! The exact same voice! How could the son have the exact same voice as the father?

One of the aurors called back through the gate, "We are from the ministry. We are looking for… for Tom Riddle, son of You-Know-Who."

There was a moment's silence. "You are looking for the son of Lord Voldemort?"

"Yes, yes, him," the auror said. "I am afraid we have to arrest him."

Again, there was a moment's silence. Then there was laughter. High, shrill, and evil laughter.

Finally, the voice spoke again. "You fools! I have no son! I am Lord Voldemort!"

Everyone present turned bright-white and gasped.

The laughter sounded again. "Now, I will be generous, and give you all three minutes to get off my property. Anyone who is still there after that, will be killed."

They were looking at each other in horror. "It's… it's him! We… we have to get out of here!" said one of them.

"No," said Harry. "It can't be him! He's dead, remember? He was killed! There's no way he can be back! He's bluffing! He has to be!"

Silence.

"Let's go back and discuss it," said one of the aurors, fear in his voice as he looked at his watch.

"Good idea," said another.

"I'll stay," said another one. "You guys all go, make him think everyone's left. I'll hide, and keep an eye out. See what he's up to."

Another auror agreed to stay too. The rest left to discuss the situation and figure out what steps to take next.

----------

When the three minutes were up, Voldemort gave Sally an ominous smile, as he put on his traveling cloak.

"Where… where are you going?" she said, concerned.

"Just sorting out a few stragglers."

Sally watched him from the window as he walked out into the ground. She saw two flashes of green light, then a hissing noise, as Voldemort was calling Nagini to clear up the mess. Sally saw Nagini slithering towards him, and noticed with a shock that baby Feruca was following along. Then she heard Voldemort's whistle, followed by a hoot. Perglassis came flying towards him, and she saw Voldemort tie something to his paw. Then Perglassis flew off, and Voldemort came back inside. He looked pleased with himself. His eyes were twinkling with delight and malice. He was in his element.

"Now, Sally, let's celebrate the return of Lord Voldemort!"

Sally was not so happy, however. "I'm sorry, I'm not exactly in the mood to celebrate," she said, her voice choked up. "I thought you weren't going to kill anyone anymore? I thought you needed the blood just so you could defend yourself? I didn't exactly see anyone attacking you!"

He laughed at her. "Come on. I only told you that so you would be a little happier about doing the things I asked you to do. Now don't be a spoilsport!"

He grabbed her by her arms, pulled her close and planted a kiss on her forehead. He stared at her for a moment, grinning evilly. Then he kissed her on her mouth, but she did not respond. "Kiss me, Sally," he whispered. "Go on, I need you to!"

"I won't! I don't want to!"

He grinned. "Don't make me use the Imperius Curse on you, Sally."

She scoffed. "Ha! You know that won't work on me anymore! I can resist it!"

But his grin did not falter. "Ah. True, you were able to."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You can't resist the Imperius Curse cast by the Elder Wand, Sally!"

Sally looked shocked.

His pupils were glowing red. It was the one thing that his rejuvenation potion could not hide so well. "On the other hand, my dear daughter. There are some other spells I can do with it, that should be even more enjoyable, now!"

He flicked his wand, and his bed appeared in the middle of the living room. Then with a smirk, he pushed her on top of it.

----------

Around the same time, the aurors were once again discussing the situation in their office, when they heard an owl pecking on the window.

Hermione was the first one to spot it. "He's got a package," she said, as she opened the window and took the package off of his paw.

The owl flew away immediately, leaving everyone staring at the package.

"What could it be?" said one.

"Not sure," said another.

They performed various dark-detecting spells on it before they finally decided to open it.

Hermione screamed, everyone else was just sitting there, white and gloomy, staring at the contents of the package. It contained two pairs of eyeballs, belonging to their friends, whom they had left behind at the Riddle House. After a few moments, Ron, who was now seeing green, ran off to the bathroom and threw up.

Eventually one of the aurors gently picked up the package, wrapped it back up and put it away. "Well, I think we can safely assume, that it is indeed You-Know-Who we're dealing with here."

Harry was shaking his head. "But it…it can't be!"

"Yes, Harry, I know, we saw him die too!" said Hermione. "But something must have gone wrong. Maybe one of the horcruxes wasn't fully destroyed or something, because this certainly seems to be him! Even his voice was the same! We all heard it!"

But Harry was still shaking his head. "Still, it can't be. It can't be!"

"I know what you mean, son," said one of the aurors. "I think we all wish it wasn't true."

"No, you don't understand," Harry said. "Some of the people he killed today were at the Battle of Hogwarts!"

"So?"

"So, they should have been protected by my sacrifice! The real Voldemort would not have been able to kill them!"

There was silence.

"Is there no way around this sacrifice, then?" said Ron, who had joined them again.

One of the aurors shook his head. "Harry is right. I can't see how he would be able to get around that."

"But he got around the protection Harry's mom gave him, though, didn't he?" said Hermione.

"Yes," said the auror. "But that was only one person. Here, we're talking about a huge amount of people! There's no way he would have been able to get around the protection for all of those people!

"Yeah, that's pretty much impossible," said someone else.

"But then, is it not You-Know-Who? Is he lying?"

"Possibly. Remember, Dirk performed Legilimency on Sally Perks and said she was speaking the truth!"

"So we're dealing with the son who's claiming to be the father?"

"Perhaps. We cannot rule that out."

"In that case, he's certainly as evil as the father!"

"But why would he claim to be the father?"

"To inspire fear? He would have an advantage that way, since people are already scared of You-Know-Who. The son is still an unknown quantity. Although the fact that he is his son, would be quite enough to scare the living daylight out of most people anyway."

Everyone seemed to be agreeing on this. They had to be dealing with the son! It was the only thing that really made sense.

"Besides," said Ron. "You haven't complained about your scar hurting, Harry, since he died!"

"True," said Harry. "But that could be because he killed the connection between me and him, when he performed the Killing Curse on me."

Ron shrugged. "I guess…"

"Whatever, it really doesn't matter all that much," said one of the aurors. "Fact is, we have an extremely dangerous dark wizard on the loose, and we have to stop him."


	62. Back in Action

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: sooj55, thank you so much for your review! I'm really happy that you love my story. I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

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Early the next morning, the bell rang once again in the Riddle House. Sally woke up with a shock, and found herself in her father's bed in the middle of the living room. Voldemort was already awake and out of bed, and raised his wand. "Yes," he replied, as he looked out the window. A smile appeared on his lips.

"It's Mulciber, Master," sounded the voice. "We heard you were back and came to find you."

"Welcome, Mulciber," said Voldemort. "I can see you are not alone. Who is with you?"

The man rattled off a list of names.

"Mulciber, you may enter," he said, and repeated this phrase for every other name that had been mentioned. Then he lowered his wand. As the men were walking towards the house, he addressed Sally. "You may want to go to your _own_ room now, Sally. It looks like we are having visitors, and I am not entirely comfortable with them seeing you like that."

Sally quickly got up, put her clothes on as fast as she could and ran upstairs. Voldemort cleaned up with a wave of his wand, and the bed disappeared.

Upstairs in her own room Sally was shaking like a leaf. They were back to where they started! Voldemort was in charge again, and up to his old tricks. The house was full of Death Eaters, and before long he was _bound_ to make another bid for power. And he was now stronger than _ever_, since he had the Hallows!

About 20 minutes later, Wolny came to Sally's room. "Mistress is wanted downstairs in the living room."

Sally sighed. She tidied herself up a bit, and went downstairs.

Other than Voldemort, there were about a dozen men in the living room. Voldemort was standing in the middle, grinning broadly, looking very young compared to all the others.

"Sally," he said. "Come here, my sweet and lovely daughter!"

Sally reluctantly walked towards him, her eyes on the floor. Once she got close enough, he threw one arm around her and pulled her close.

"Here she is! Thanks to my daughter, Lord Voldemort is _back_, and more powerful than ever." He kissed her on her forehead. "I want all of you to pay _her_ the same respect as you would _me_. Understood? 'My Lady', I think, will be appropriate."

There was a general murmur of agreement.

"You may go now," he said to Sally, as he finally let go of her. "Or… you may stay. It is up to you."

Sally started walking away.

"My Lord," one of the Death Eaters began.

"Yes?"

"How did you… how did you manage to make yourself look so young?"

"Ah. That, my friends, is a rejuvenation potion I mixed up myself."

He waved his wand and turned back to his older self, for the first time in months. It gave Sally a bit of a shock, to see him like that again. She was no longer used to it, and he looked _so_ much more frightening that way.

"This is why a lot of people now seem to think that I am actually my own son!" he said, laughing, and everyone laughed with him.

Sally quickly left the room and went back upstairs. It was just like being back at Malfoy Manor again…

----------

In the mean time, Harry was extremely unhappy and uncomfortable about everything that had happened. He put on a traveling cloak, and left the ministry.

"Where are _you_ going?" said Ron.

"I need some more information, and some advice, too," he said, and left without another word.

Shortly after that, he arrived at the gates of Malfoy Manor.

"It's Harry Potter," he said to the gate. "I'm here to see Draco Malfoy."

He waited a few moments, until suddenly a blond young man appeared at his side. "What do you want, Potter," said Draco with a sneer.

"I never thought I'd ever say this to you," said Harry. "But I need your help."

Draco folded his arms and waited expectantly.

"Sally Perks used to stay at your house," Harry began. "And so did Voldemort, right?"

Draco gave a curt nod.

"Did you ever see Sally's cousin at your house?"

Draco scoffed. "Sally Perks _has_ no cousin, Potter."

Harry looked at him intently. "So what about… Voldemort's son?"

Draco was laughing now. "The Dark Lord's _son_? You're kidding me, right? You guys are so _stupid_! Where do you _get_ that kind of nonsense? _He has no son_! He has…" but Draco found he could not say anything more.

Harry looked at him inquiringly, but Draco shook his head. "He does _not_ have a son." Draco wanted to tell Harry that he _did_ have daughter, but for some reason he couldn't.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Then who do you reckon broke into the ministry to get Sally?"

"You guys haven't figured that out yet?" said Draco.

"No," said Harry, frowning.

Draco shook his head again. "Honestly, it's surprising the ministry hasn't fallen again yet, with such _morons_ in charge."

"Alright then, enlighten me!"

"That, _clearly_, was the Dark Lord _himself_!" And then, in a whisper, "He's back, Potter."

A shiver went through Harry, and all the blood seemed to leave his face. He had to swallow away a lump in his throat.

"How… how can you be so sure of that?"

"He's been back a _long_ time. He came back about two days after his 'death'. I'm just not sure why he waited so long to show himself."

"Why… why do you think he came back two days later?"

"The _Dark Mark_, Potter," said Draco. "Ask _any_ Death Eater, they'll tell you."

Harry shook his head. "But… but it's not possible! It _can't_ be!"

"You believe whatever you want, Potter. But I'm telling you, he's back."

Harry thought for a moment. "So… there is no cousin?"

"No."

"And no son?"

"No, but…"

"But what?"

"Ah, I can't say it, Potter!"

"Why not?"

"Must be some kind of spell. He's done something to stop us from telling."

"Tell what?"

Draco stared at him for a moment. "Are you really _that_ stupid, Potter?"

"You mean Voldemort did something to stop you from telling something?"

"Yes."

"Why would he do that?"

"To protect someone."

"Who is he protecting?"

"_I can't tell, Potter_! But there're not an awful lot of people the Dark Lord wants to protect. Think, Potter, think!"

Harry stared at him, mystified.

"Someone he cares about."

"I didn't know he cared about anyone at all!"

"He _does_. There's _someone_!"

Harry thought. And thought. Then he thought about what they thought had been Voldemort's son, rescuing Sally from the ministry.

"Not… not Sally Perks?"

Draco smiled. "Well. It appears you might not be _quite_ as stupid as you seem, Potter!"

"But why would he care about Sally? She's a _Muggle-born_!"

"No, Potter, she is _not_ a Muggle-born."

"Oh yeah, her grandmother was a witch, right?"

"Yes, her grandmother was a witch. But there is more."

"And her cousin?"

"For the last time, Potter, _she does not have a cousin_!"

Harry thought for a moment again. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You're lying, Malfoy. She _does_ have a cousin!"

Draco gave a frustrated sigh. "And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because she was at the ministry for questioning. I was there! She _told_ us she had a cousin. _And_ she told us that her cousin was Voldemort's son!"

"She was obviously lying."

"No she wasn't!"

"Why, you don't think she's capable?" Draco laughed sarcastically.

"Maybe she is, but she didn't lie at the ministry. One of the aurors performed Legilimency on her, and confirmed that everything she told us was true!"

Draco stared at him for a few moments. Then he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" said Harry, annoyed.

"He did Legilimency, on Sally!" Draco chuckled. "Potter, she's an _expert_ at Occlumency! She can make you believe whatever she wants! She can hide things even from the Dark Lord!" - Fortunately, he thought to himself. - "Confirming something she said via Legilimency doesn't mean a thing. Not with her!"

Harry was quiet for a while. "Are… are you sure?"

"As sure as 1 and 1 being 2."

Harry thought back to a memory he had a while ago, about Voldemort looking for Gregorovitch, helped by Sally. He looked up sharply.

"Legilimency!" he called out. "She can do _that_, too, can't she?"

Draco gave him an all-knowing smile. "Absolutely. Potter, if Sally Perks looks you in the eye, you can bet your bottom dollar that all your deepest secrets are being revealed, and you won't even know it! Only the Dark Lord himself surpasses her skills at Legilimency."

Harry looked at him in horror. All your deepest secrets! He thought of all the times that Sally Perks had looked him in the eye. How much did she know? How much had she found out from him?

"But that still doesn't explain Voldemort's interest in her," he said, after a pause.

"Think about it, Potter. Just think!"

After a little while, Draco continued. "There is something else, too. When she was living here, she had a friend."

Harry stared at him.

"You remember Nagini, right?"

"Of course. Voldemort's snake."

Draco grinned. "They were good friends. She was always playing around with it. She even talked to it!"

Harry's eyes went wide. "_She talked to it?_ So she's… she's a _Parselmouth_?"

Draco nodded. "Now, _why_ do you think she's got all those _unusual_ skills?"

"You… you mean… you're not telling me… she's not his… _daughter_, or something, is she?"

Draco's grin became broader. "Geez, Potter, I thought you'd _never_ figure it out!"

Harry's heart was pounding in his chest. Sally Perks, Voldemort's _daughter_? It was ridiculous. Impossible. It couldn't be true, it… it… it actually made _sense_! It would explain _so much_! Harry fell back against the gate. He swallowed hard.

"Oh my goodness! Who… who would have thought _that_!"

Draco just stood there looking at him, with his arms folded.

Then Harry turned back at him. "But if… if Voldemort is _really_ back, your parents must be terrified! Your mother betrayed him!"

Draco grinned sourly now. "They're not exactly thrilled about it, no."

Harry collected himself again. "Alright. I guess we have no option, we have to deal with it. Thanks, Malfoy, you've actually been very helpful." Harry looked at Draco. "If there's anything I can do for _you_…"

Draco scoffed. "Fat chance of that, Potter. But thanks, anyway." And he disappeared.

Harry stayed there for a little while, trying to absorb the information he just received. It seemed so ridiculous! Sally Perks, the ultimate good girl! And yet, it made so much sense. Being his daughter, she'd be the only one who would have been able to save Harry without getting killed herself! It would explain Voldemort's obsession with her, why she had been living with him all that time. _Why_ he had been training her! It would explain why he was living with her _now_! And her Legilimency skills… he shuddered to think what she could have found out from Harry and passed on to her father.

But on the other hand, then why _did_ she save Harry's and Hermione's lives? Why _did_ she save so many lives during the battle of Hogwarts? _Why_ was she a healer? None of those things were things you'd expect from _Voldemort's_ offspring! He shook his head. Then was _Draco_ lying? But why would _he_? Harry shook his head. So many questions. And he _had_ to find the answers! It was _vitally_ important that he find the answers! He needed advice. And there was only _one_ person who'd be able to give him that...

And so, Harry disapparated to the gates of Hogwarts. After sending out his patronus to Professor McGonagall, she came to get him, and he walked with her to her office.

"So what brings you here, Potter?" said Professor McGonagall.

"I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore," replied Harry. "Urgently."

McGonagall looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "How urgent is it?"

"Very."

"Does this have anything to do with You-Know-Who's supposed son?"

"Yes."

"Alright," sighed Professor McGonagall. "I guess I'll leave you to it, then."

She led Harry into her office, and left.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry addressed the portrait of the old headmaster. "I need your advice."

And so Harry told the portrait all he had found out. Dumbledore didn't say a word, and just listened to him.

When Harry had finished telling him all he knew, he asked, "So, what do we do now, Professor? I'm not even sure who is speaking the truth and who is _not_ anymore."

"Well," said Dumbledore, who was looking very grave. "It seems clear to me that Voldemort _has_ indeed returned. And it certainly appears that Sally-Anne Perks _is_ his daughter."

"But," said Harry. "How can you be so sure? Is it not possible that _Draco_ is lying?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not likely. Voldemort _does_ seem to care about her. He's been protecting her for a while now, which would indicate _some_ kind of relationship."

Harry looked puzzled. "What do you mean, he's been protecting her for a while now?"

"Well, for a start, he did not kill her when she betrayed him and saved your and Ms. Granger's lives. Then when she disappeared, there was a huge search for her, and he eventually brought her in himself. Clearly she is very important to him! Yet, there appeared to be no consequences for her when she returned, she was back at Hogwarts a few days later. If she had been important because she was _dangerous_ to him for some reason, like _you_ were, she would _never_ have returned."

Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Then of course there was the situation at the Battle of Hogwarts."

Harry frowned. "What situation?"

"Harry," said Dumbledore. "Do you know where Sally-Anne Perks _was_, during the final moments of the battle?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, where everyone else was, fighting in the Great Hall, wasn't she?"

"Oh, she was in the Great Hall, alright. But she _wasn't_ fighting."

"Then what _was_ she doing?"

"Apparently very few people noticed what had happened to her. And those who did, didn't think it was very important in light of all the _other_ things that happened at that particular time. But when Voldemort spotted her fighting, he cast a spell on her that put her in a clear, protective cage and moved her out of the way. She was allowed to watch, but not to participate."

Harry's eyes opened wide. "He was keeping her _safe_?"

"It appears so," said Dumbledore.

"Of course, once he 'died', the cage disappeared, since its caster was dead."

Harry thought about this for a moment, until Dumbledore continued. "It seems that the father-daughter relationship must have become known, when they 'accidentally' met over the summer. This must have been just before the start of the school year."

"Why do you think it was _then_?"

"Because _that_ is the time Sally's father was killed. That is, the man she _thought_ was her father before she met Voldemort."

"Do you think Voldemort killed him?"

"_Absolutely_. He didn't want her to think of anyone else as her father, so he just eliminated the 'competition'. Plus, that way, she had nowhere else to go. _He_ was now her only surviving family member."

Harry stared at the wall for a while. "Do you think he _really_ cares about her, then?"

"Oh, yes, I believe he does. In his own sick and twisted way, that is."

Harry stared at Dumbledore's portrait.

"And of course," Dumbledore continued. "Sally certainly loves _him_."

"_What_?"

"Well, I daresay she's unhappy about quite a few of the things he does, of course, but on the whole, yes, I _do_ think she loves him."

"But _why_?"

"_Why_? Who knows? Maybe because he is her father? Maybe because he pays attention to her? Because he cares about her? There are many reasons to love, Harry."

There was silence.

"I think we have all been underestimating Sally, unfortunately," said Dumbledore finally. "It must have been _she_ who brought him back."

Harry looked up sharply. "What? You think so?"

"Yes, I am pretty positive."

"But how would she have been able to do that? He was dead! And all his horcruxes had been destroyed!"

"_Had_ they, Harry?"

Harry stared at him.

"At least _one_ of them must have survived," said Dumbledore.

"No," said Harry. "They… they didn't! We got them _all_!"

"Are you _sure_, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply.

"I think we can be sure that the diary, the ring, and the locket were true horcruxes. Voldemort's soul was clearly present there. But did you see, or even _feel_, its presence with the others?"

Harry thought back to the other horcruxes. "Hermione destroyed the cup, and no, she didn't say anything about the presence of his soul in that. The diadem was destroyed by the Fiendfyre spell, so we didn't see the presence of his soul in there either. And Nagini…" He shook his head.

"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "And even if just _one_ of them survived, he would have been able to come back."

"And clearly, he did," said Harry bitterly. "But what about my sacrifice? He shouldn't have been able to kill anyone who fought against him during the battle of Hogwarts, yet he did!"

"Yes, you are quite correct," said Dumbledore. "He shouldn't have been able to. He must have found some way around it, although I can't quite think what that would be…"

There was silence again.

"So _now_ what do we do?" said Harry finally.

Dumbledore sighed, and shook his head. "_Now_, the world is in _big_ trouble Harry."

Harry rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"You only have _one_ chance left, now. And a very slim one, at that," said Dumbledore.

Harry looked up, a hopeful expression on his face. "What is it, Professor?"

"Sally."

"What about her?" said Harry, frowning.

"You _know_ Sally. She has _no_ evil in her. Nothing, not a grain! She can't _possibly_ be happy about what he's done before, and about what he's doing _now_."

"But she helped him _get_ to where he is now!"

"Yes. But he must have tricked her somehow. He must have made her believe that he wasn't going to try and take over again, otherwise I don't believe she would have brought him back!"

Harry looked at him.

"She's your only hope, Harry. She must know him very well by now. She'll know his weaknesses, if there are any. And, if it comes to it, it is unlikely he will _ever_ kill _her_. You must get to her, alone! And you _must_ get help. You must use _her_ weakness, to be able to get to _her_."

"What's _her_ weakness?" said Harry, puzzled.

"Draco Malfoy," Dumbledore replied.

----------

Once back at the ministry, Harry explained to Ron and Hermione everything he had found out, and what Dumbledore's opinion had been. They were very quiet for a while after he had finished.

"It's true, though, the cup, at least, did not put up _any_ fight at all before I destroyed it," said Hermione.

"So he really _is_ back then," said Ron.

"Yes, it appears he is," said Harry.

Once again there was silence.

"We need to inform the other aurors," said Hermione. "They need to know, Harry, they still think we're looking for his son!"

But the other aurors refused to believe they were dealing with Voldemort himself, and also did not like the thought of trying to involve Draco Malfoy. As far as _they_ were concerned, Draco was lucky not to be in Azkaban.


	63. Sally's Agreement

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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That evening, at the Riddle House, Voldemort took his potion again. He was in an exceptionally good mood. The plan for his return to power had been put into motion, the time for waiting around was finally over! Furthermore, he didn't need Sally anymore for his return to power, she had done her part. So now that he was no longer dependent on her, he was finally free again to do those things to her that he had been _aching_ to do for _months_ now. The previous night had been _extremely_ satisfying, and he was ready for a repeat.

----------

Even though it was still early, Sally had already gone to bed. She wasn't asleep yet, just staring into space thinking about the recent events, when she heard her bedroom door open and close.

"F… father?" she whispered.

He didn't reply, but instead got into bed with her and took her in his arms. He grinned at her, as he moved one hand under her nightdress to massage her breasts. He leaned over and pressed his lips on hers.

"A… again?" she gulped.

"Yes, again. We have some catching up to do, princess. It has been a long, long time!"

When Sally woke up the next morning, he was gone. She felt like the tables had been turned. The last few months _she_ had been happy, and _he_ had been unhappy. Now that _he_ appeared to be happy, _she_ no longer was. She decided she would talk to him. She showered, got dressed and went downstairs into the kitchen. He was drinking coffee and reading the paper, as usual.

Sally poured herself a cup and sat down. "Good morning, father."

He moved his paper down and grinned at her. "Good morning, angel."

"I'm not happy," she began.

He put his paper away, gave her an annoyed look and folded his arms. "Alright. What is it?"

"I don't want to live here anymore."

He raised his eyebrows.

"I want to live by myself."

He started laughing, and reached for his paper again.

She leaned over the table and pulled the paper away. "No, I'm serious! I have had enough. I am sick of you! I am sick of the things you do to me, and of the things you do to other people. You're a lying, murderous megalomaniac who doesn't care about anybody! And I don't want to be anywhere _near_ you anymore. EVER!"

He stared at her, open-mouthed and looking completely thunderstruck, as she sat back down and stared back, with fury in her eyes. His hand had flown to his wand, but he wasn't drawing it. At least not yet. He seemed to be lost for words for a moment.

"_How_… _dare_… _you!_" he finally managed to say, and got up. His eyes were fiery red and he was trembling with anger.

"Kill me, then," she said, quietly. "Go on. I don't care. I'd rather be _dead_ then spend another day with _you_ here."

His hand had closed around his wand, and he had gripped it so tight that his knuckles turned white. But he still wasn't drawing it.

"_Get to your room!_" he snapped at her. "_Get to your room, Sally_, before I do something I might _regret_ later!"

"No."

He finally drew his wand and cast a spell. She fell off her chair, slid over the ground and smashed into the wall.

He was breathing heavily. "_Get up!_" he spat. "I - don't - want - to - hurt - you, Sally, but I _will_ if you don't get _out_ this instant!"

Sally got up, and drew her own wand. "Alright. Alright, if _you're_ not going to kill me, maybe I can do it _myself_. 'Avada Kadavra', wasn't it?" She pointed her wand at herself. "Avada…"

Her wand flew out of her hand, and landed in his. Next, her wrists were bound together behind her back. He tied her ankles too, and then made her float to her room. He dropped her down on her bed, then called Nagini.

"Keep an eye on her," she heard him tell Nagini. "Make sure she does not do anything stupid."

He looked at her, and Sally thought she saw a glimmer of fear in his eyes, before he turned around and left.

Sally's wrists and ankles were still bound, and she buried her face in her pillow as she cried and cried and cried.

Much later that day, he came back. She had a feeling it was close to dinner time, although she couldn't be sure. She hadn't been able to eat, tied up like she was. Her tears had dried by now.

"So, have you calmed down yet?"

She didn't say anything.

He walked around and sat down on the bed next to her. With a flick of his wand, her bounds dissolved. Her hands now free to move, she clung to her pillow.

"Sally," he began. "I understand you are unhappy. But I cannot let you go. I need you with me."

He looked at her, but she kept staring at her pillow. He pulled the pillow out of her hands. "And as far as the _sex_ is concerned, I am not giving _that_ up either."

She still didn't look at him.

He started stroking her cheeks. "Sally," he started. "It is impossible for any woman in this world to be more beautiful than you. And magically, the things you can do are _extremely_ impressive, second, only to _me_." He paused. "You _belong_ to me, Sally. I _deserve_ to have you. You, and you _only_, are _worthy_ of me."

She was still staring into space.

"Other than that, sweetheart, I _will_ try to do whatever I can to make you happy. But do not ask me to give _you_ up. I will not do _that_."

Sally remained silent for a while, as he was playing with her hair. Then suddenly she sat up and looked at him. "Alright. Alright, in _that_ case…"

He gave her a surprised, but curious look.

"What are you doing right now?"

He frowned and looked nonplussed.

"I mean, I want to know what you're doing. I'm sure you're planning another takeover right now, and I want to know about it. I want some input!"

He chuckled sarcastically. "You want _input_, Sally?"

"Yes! And I guarantee you're not going to _like_ my input. But that's what I want. _That_ will make me happy!"

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he was watching her. "What _kind_ of input?"

"What are your plans? _Now_, at this very moment? What's going to happen?"

"Well, first I am going to eliminate everyone who betrayed me. Followed by everyone who is likely to be in the way."

"Okay," said Sally. "People who betrayed you, that wouldn't happen to include the _Malfoys_, would it?"

A sinister smile appeared on his face.

"That's a yes! You're planning to kill the Malfoys!"

"Draco will be safe."

"But you're going to kill his parents!"

"His mother has betrayed me. And if I kill her, I can no longer trust her husband. _He_ will then be a _threat_ to me."

"And _why_ did she betray you? Because she was trying to save her son!"

"So?"

"You can't blame her for trying to protect her child! She was concerned about him! Just like _you_ were about _me_!"

He laughed. "I have _not_ been concerned about you!"

"No? Then why was I in a cage?"

He stopped laughing. "Whatever... get to the point, Sally."

"Leave them alone. Don't have them killed!"

He laughed again. "I cannot do that, Sally. People will think I have gone weak!"

Sally scoffed. "Yeah… right! Believe me, no one will _ever_ think of you as weak!"

He stared at her.

Then she continued. "And people who're likely to be in the way, let me guess. The first one on _that_ list, would be… Harry Potter!"

He gave her another all-knowing smile.

"And then, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley."

He kept on smiling, but avoided her look somewhat.

Then she looked directly at him as she said, "I want you to keep them alive."

"What, _all_ of them?" he said, looking thoroughly unhappy about that.

"Yes! _All_ of them!"

He shook his head. "I cannot do that."

"Harry Potter is no longer a threat to you, and Hermione and Ron never _were_ anyway."

"But _now_ they are. Remember, I do not have their blood."

"You might still get that. Besides, even without they're not that much of a threat. You always have other people around you who could take care of _them_. You can _easily_ avoid them!"

"_No_," he frowned. "I am _not_ taking any unnecessary risks!"

She looked angrily at him. Then she lay back down. "_Anything_ to make me happy, right? But everything I ask for is a 'no'!"

He sat sulkily on the edge of her bed for a little while, his arms folded. Then, finally, he said, "Alright! Fine, I shall keep them alive!"

She sat back up again, smiling now. "_Really_? Promise?"

"Unless they _really_ get in the way," he said, looking grim. Then, after a moment, he said, "but I better get something _extra_ for that!"

She looked puzzled. "Like what?"

He grinned. "Ultimate Devotion…"

"Ultimate… _what_? What do you mean by that?"

He got up off of her bed. "You will find out what I mean by that, soon."

He laughed softly, then turned around to face her again. "Now, have some food. Then go do some shopping."

"Shopping?" she said, puzzled.

"Yes, shopping. Buy some new clothes. You need some better looking stuff, robes, dresses, skirts, heels, that sort of thing. I need you to _always_ look your best, from now on. We are going to have a lot of visitors. I want you to _dazzle_ them! Go and do it tonight. But make sure you disguise yourself, you do not want me to go pick you up from the ministry again."

And with that, he left her room.

Sally was actually very happy to go shopping. She'd finally be out of the house for a bit. So she tied her hair up in such a way that it looked short, and magically dyed it black. She put on a pair of sunglasses and a travel cloak, and, after she had something to eat (she was starving), she left.

----------

She had a great time, and she bought a _lot_ of clothes, some of them in Diagon Alley, some of them in Muggle London. She also bought shoes, lingerie, jewelry and hair accessories. And some candy, too.

But when she was at the candy store, she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Evening, Ms. Perks!"

She turned around and looked into George Weasley's face.

"George!" she exclaimed, happily surprised for a moment at first, until she remembered why she was being disguised. "But how… how did you recognize me?"

He laughed. "Your _face_, Sally! It's kind of… easily recognizable. You're very pretty."

She blushed. "Oh… thank you, George!"

"So. Hanging around with Dark Wizards these days, Sally?"

She blushed even more.

"You-Know-Who's son? Is he really your cousin? I read about it in the paper. Did all that really happen? Is _that_ why you are disguised?"

She nodded. "Unfortunately, yes, George. I'm sorry."

"Why are you hanging around with scum like that?"

"I have no choice. Can't pick your family, you know."

He shrugged. "You know you're a wanted person right now, don't you? I'm really supposed to inform the ministry."

She looked up at him with a shock. "No! Seriously, George, if I would get arrested… You wouldn't do _anybody_ a favor with that! Things would get _much_ worse!" She stared at him for a moment. "It's _him_, George!"

He frowned. "What?"

"It's _him_. You-Know-Who, _himself_. _Not_ his son. He _has_ no son!"

George stared at her with his eyes opened wide. "_What_! He's… he's back?" Then, after a moment's silence, "Is he… is he going after Harry again?"

"No. Not right now. I'm trying to er… discourage him from doing that." She looked straight at him. "Your brother Ron too, and Hermione. And the Malfoys. They should all be safe, for the time being."

"He actually _listens_ to you?"

She smiled wryly. "A little. Not enough, unfortunately. But a little."

"Does he have any Death Eaters with him?"

Sally nodded. "Anyway, I should go. I don't think I'm allowed to talk to you."

"Alright. Nice to see you, anyway."

"Yeah, nice to see you too, George. Bye!"

And she left. She came home fairly late. She had bought a ton of stuff, and spent some time putting it away. Then she went to bed, and had a nice, quiet, restful sleep. By herself.

----------

It wasn't long before George's conversation with Sally reached Ron. And then Harry and Hermione.

"Well, nice to know we should be safe, for the time being," said Hermione.

Ron scoffed. "Why, you actually _believe_ that? Maybe she's setting us up! Trying to lure us into a false sense of security, and then strike!"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so, somehow. This is _Sally_, guys! _Sally Perks_, remember?"

"Sally _Riddle_, now, apparently," corrected Hermione.

"I don't like that name," said Harry. "She'll always be Sally Perks to me."

"Yeah, me too," said Ron.

Hermione nodded.

----------

Soon, there was a mass-breakout out of Azkaban, and the Riddle House was getting busier and busier. Sally also saw many _new_ faces, quite a few of them young. Some of them she already knew from school. Gregory Goyle, for example. She also recognized some Slytherin boys who used to be in the grades above her. Sally was getting a _lot_ of stares from the men in the house, especially now that she was dressed up most of the time. But none of them seemed to dare approach her.

Voldemort seemed to be sticking to his word this time. It appeared the Malfoys, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were safe. But he was also holding her to _her_ side of the deal. And she knew she had to be excited and enthusiast about his advances since otherwise there was a possibility that he may change his mind. Yet, she still hadn't found out what he meant by 'Ultimate Devotion'.

----------

One day at the end of a Death Eater meeting, everyone was chatting casually with each other. One of the younger men, a good looking boy, decided to be brave and approach Voldemort.

"My Lord," he began.

"Ah, Chris. Chris Strayheart. What is it?"

"Er… I… I wanted to ask you something, my Lord. Something about your daughter."

Voldemort smiled. "Sally? The apple of my eye! What about her?"

"Is she… is she still dating the Malfoy boy, sir?"

"No, she is not. They broke up quite a while ago."

A hopeful glimmer appeared in the boy's eye. Voldemort saw it too. "You, er… you _like_ her, don't you Chris?" he said with grin.

The boy blushed. "I… I do, my Lord."

"You want to _date_ her! And you wondered if I would have any objections to that. Right?"

The boy nodded briefly. Voldemort stood and stared at him for a little while, still grinning. Then he turned around to the other people in the room, and raised his voice.

"Is there anybody else here, who wants to date my daughter?"

There was a murmur going up, and quite a few of the men took a small step forward. Voldemort stared at them all.

"Hmm," he began. "The question is, of course, if I would _let_ any of you date her. So let us resolve that right now, shall we? Wolny!"

Within moments, the elf appeared. "Yes, Master?"

"Let Sally know I need to see her right away."

"Certainly, Master."

"Tell her to make sure she looks her best."

"Yes, Master!" she said, and with a crack, she disappeared.

Wolny brought Sally the message, and Sally obliged immediately. She put on a low cut dark red dress, tight around the body and a slight flare at the bottom. A split to show off her long legs, a red flowery pin in her hair, some black accessories, black pearls, some make-up and black pumps. She looked in the mirror. She thought she looked okay. If she was supposed to look 'her best', this would certainly come close.

So that's how she entered the recently expanded living room (to hold the vast amount of people that were now frequently present).

As soon as she entered, a gasp went up from the crowd. She looked absolutely _stunning_! Voldemort gave her a smile that she couldn't quite place, and then called her over.

"Sally, my beautiful daughter!" he exclaimed. "Come here, sweetheart. There have been a few questions about you!" His voice was loud and clear.

She walked up to him and he put an arm around her.

"Sally. Some of my friends here have indicated that they have a certain… _interest_ in you." He looked around. Everyone was watching intently. "Now. They wish to know if your father has any objections to them pursuing you." He grinned. "So, I would say we show them right now what I think of that! Just so that we are all clear on the subject."

And with that, he put his arms around her, pressed his lips on hers and kissed her, his tongue pushing its way into her mouth. Sally now realized with a shock what he meant by 'Ultimate Devotion'. She was supposed to respond, and show everyone that she was not available! So then _everyone_ in the room would know that she was having a sexual relationship with her father! The thought was atrocious. How could he _possibly_ want that?

But she had no option. She _had_ to play her part. So she put her arms around him and kissed him back. A gasp went through the crowd. Everyone seemed astonished over such a brutal display of something _so_ completely unacceptable! He clearly wanted to show them that he was above any normal rules of society. When he pulled back from her, he stared at her with a wicked grin, and stroked her hair for a moment.

"Alright, Sally, you may go now," he said, as he gave her a pat on her bottom.

"I think that should answer all your questions," he addressed the people around him. "Doesn't it, Chris?"

The boy called Chris Strayheart looked flabbergasted. He was white as a sheet. "Y… Yes, m… my Lord," he stammered.

"Good," said Voldemort. "So now that _that_ is cleared up, let us get back to business."

And he turned around to speak to one of the other Death Eaters.

----------

Later that day, when Sally went back to her bedroom, she discovered that all her stuff was gone. The room was empty, only the furniture was left. She went back to the living room and found her father talking to a few people.

"I need to talk to you, father."

"Of course," he said, and sent everyone else out.

"What is it?"

"Where's all my stuff? All my stuff is gone!"

He laughed. "It is not gone. It has been moved."

"Then where is it?"

She didn't like the way he was grinning at her. "I need that room for some of our guests. From now on, _you_ will be staying in _my_ room."

"_What_?" she said, in a clearly unhappy tone of voice. "So, I won't have _any_ privacy left then?"

"No less than you had at Hogwarts. You were sharing there too, were you not?"

"That was different!"

He shrugged. "It will be easier this way."

"Yeah, easier for _you_, you mean!" she shouted, tears in her eyes again.

And she ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. She got some stares from the people waiting outside the door. Voldemort opened the door again.

"Teenagers," he mumbled. Then, to the waiting crowd, "You may come back in."


	64. The Riddle Life

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was right when it came to privacy. There was very little of that left in the Riddle House now since there always seemed to be people around, _everywhere_. Her room had been the only place where she could be alone. And now, that was gone too. Fortunately, her father wasn't in his room that often, so at least she had a little privacy _there_ during the day.

The first night when he came back to his room, he found her there, still awake. "I want to show you something," he began.

She looked at him with curiosity at first. Soon, however, she lost that as it made way for annoyance when he started kissing her. As usual, she put up with it. She was once again under a spell when he was inside her and ready to finish. She hadn't noticed he was holding his wand and muttered something at this 'almost crucial' moment.

Then suddenly she felt herself switching places with him. And a wave of an unimaginably good feeling came over her. As she was looking down upon herself, she felt overcome with a feeling of admiration, and, something… something she couldn't quite explain. In any case, she felt a _huge_ attachment to the beautiful blonde lying beneath her. And then, at that moment, her body stiffened with the force of an orgasm such as she never had experienced before. A feeling of paradise was engulfing her, and it felt almost unreal. The feeling was heavily connected with _her_, and this exceptionally strong attachment she was feeling for herself. It was an incredible, amazing sensation. It was numbing her mind and taking over any other feeling she was experiencing!

And then she was back, back in her own body. She gasped. She stared at him. And suddenly she understood _why_ he was so possessive! _Why_ he wanted her near him all the time, and couldn't give her up.

The whole next day, she was consumed by the experience of the night before. He clearly cared about her, there was no doubt about that now. It had shocked her, but at the same time, it had given her a greater understanding and somehow, she felt more attached to him.

She fell asleep early that night, and was out when he returned to his room. He got partly undressed, and sat on the bed next to her reading a book. She woke up somewhat at some point, and moved closer, put her head in his lap and her hand on his leg. Then she continued sleeping. He stirred for a moment.

Then he put his hand in her hair, started stroking her and said, "Hmm, Sally, while you're there…"

She opened her eyes for a second. "What?" she mumbled softly.

He was quiet for a moment. "Never mind," he said finally, and continued stroking her hair as he was reading.

Nothing else happened that night.

----------

The next night, as he came in, she was already in bed, her eyes closed. But she was not yet asleep. He got ready and joined her.

Then he leaned over her. "I know you're awake, Sally. No point in pretending."

"I wasn't pretending," she replied. "Just… just ready to go to sleep!"

He smiled at her as he was stroking her hair. He pulled up her nightdress and massaged her breasts. Then he stuck his hand inside her undies and stroked her there, gently. "_Now_, Sally. Still want to go to sleep?"

Sally took a deep breath. He was giving her a choice again. But this time, she wouldn't fall for it. "Yes, please."

He grinned, and withdrew his hand. "As you wish."

He turned around, facing away from her, as if he was going to go to sleep. Sally turned to face him for a little while. She really _did_ have the choice. He was leaving her alone! Somehow, she was surprised by that. She stared at his back for a little while. She had a funny feeling in her stomach, as she was looking at him. She almost… almost regretted that he wasn't more persistent! She felt warm and comfortable, and had to suppress an urge to touch him.

He was very good looking, caring, attentive. He _did_ make her feel good, usually. She sighed. She slowly moved a little closer. She wondered if he would turn around and change his mind.

But he didn't appear to. Then, when she had finally convinced herself he wasn't going to do _anything_ to her that night, she couldn't resist any longer, and gently touched his arm.

He turned around and looked at her, grinning. "Why, Sally, did you change your mind?"

She didn't say anything, and avoided looking at him.

"Well?" he insisted.

She gave a brief little nod. "Yes," she whispered softly, as she made it a point not to look at him.

He laughed softly, as he lifted her chin towards him and looked at her. "Ahh. So you _do_ care about me after all!"

Then he kissed her. He pressed his lips on hers, and held her tight as his tongue was playing with hers. It felt good. Somehow, it felt _really_ good kissing him now, and being held by him! And she happily returned his kiss.

After playing around for a little while, he asked her if she wanted him to put a spell on her. She shook her head, and he grinned. He used his fingers instead. She was enjoying it immensely, and she was sure he must have used some kind of wandless magic, because the feeling he was giving her was incredible.

By the time they were done and panting in each other's arms, she was amazed at how much she had enjoyed it. She felt elated and guilty at the same time. But the feeling that she was doing something wrong, was not as strong as it had been on previous occasions. She had given herself up, she had opened her heart to him, and not regretted it.

It seemed that he had finally cut through her defenses, and from that moment on, she no longer resisted him. Physically, she hadn't resisted him anyway, because of their agreement, but now, even the resistance of her heart and mind had evaporated, and instead of putting up with what he did to her, she actively participated and enjoyed it. She now saw living in his room as a _treat_, rather than a punishment.

But although she now thoroughly enjoyed their 'togetherness', every now and then she did receive a rough 'awakening', as she found out some of the things he was up to when he was not with _her_. He didn't let up on his reign of terror, and still killed a human being as easily as he swatted a fly. Nothing had changed there. And he seemed more and more convinced of the righteousness of his crusade.

Sally tried to block all of that out. She didn't want to think about it. It made her feel upset and guilty, and she didn't like it. She still _knew_ that he was evil, and even though he occasionally tried to make her see his side of things, he was unable to convince her. The only good point she saw was that he apparently stuck to his word, as the Malfoys, as well as Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were still left alone. In addition, she managed to seize an occasional small victory over some of the things he planned on doing, and from time to time he would spare someone's life due to her objections.

She hadn't forgotten Draco either. No matter how much she enjoyed the things that were going on between her and her father now, she still couldn't forget Draco. She tried. She tried very hard, but for some reason, he kept showing up in her dreams.

During the day, Sally regularly went out now. She would either go to London (in disguise) or to the local town. Sometimes she would venture to areas she didn't normally go to, just out of curiosity. She had full freedom now, since she had no desire to run away anymore. Most of the time, she'd actually be looking _forward_ to going back home.

Despite her disguise, she _did_ get recognized on occasion. However, it didn't matter much, as Voldemort's influence was now felt more and more all throughout the wizarding world (even though most people still thought they were dealing with his son). She saw more and more Death Eaters wherever she went, and even being captured and held by the ministry wasn't much of a threat anymore, as at the moment, corruption was rife at the ministry. It was infiltrated by Death Eaters, and many people there were now under the Imperius Curse.

Although Kingsley was still Minister of Magic, his actual power was decreasing, and most thought it was only a matter of time before he would have to relinquish his post. Sally was convinced that if she ever was to be captured, she'd most likely be home in a matter of minutes.

-----------

That wasn't to say that there was no resistance at all, though! In fact, there was a whole new Order of the Phoenix, with new headquarters, whose goal it was to stop Voldemort at any cost. They were working on a plan, and, unbeknownst to Sally, _she,_ was a part of that plan…

----------

One day, when Sally had been out shopping in Diagon Alley, she decided to have a drink at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hey, Tom! Can I have a butterbeer, please?" she called out to the barman.

Tom walked over to her with a butterbeer, but when he stood in front of her and looked in her face, he recognized her. "Sally Perks!" he exclaimed, as he put her drink in front of her.

She smiled at him, as he stared at her. After a little while, he started talking. "Sally, that young man you brought with you one day. That was You-Know-Who's son, wasn't it? The one everyone is talking about?"

Sally looked down for a second. Then she gave a brief nod.

"So… is he _really_ your cousin then, Sally?"

Sally gave a deep sigh. Her father had told her that since he was now proud of her, she was allowed to tell anyone she liked about their father-daughter relationship. Also, she knew that he never really cared much for the 'son' theory. So she really ought to tell Tom the truth, but she hated admitting to it as it made _her_ seem really bad too! However, she felt that Tom, at least, deserved to know the truth.

"No," she said to Tom. "I'm sorry I lied to you before, but I had no other option at the time. He's _not_ my cousin."

Tom looked a little more relaxed now. "Well, good for you! Who would want someone like _that_ in their family, anyway?" He paused a minute, as if he was thinking about something. "But Sally, why are you hanging around with scum like that? First in my bar, then at the ministry. And what does he want with _you_?"

Sally gave him a wry smile. "He's my father," she replied simply.

Tom had been drying a glass which he almost dropped in shock. "_What_?" he breathed in an urgent whisper. "You… you are _kidding_, aren't you?"

Sally shook her head.

"But you _have_ to be! There is _no way_ that boy could have been your father! He's _barely_ older than you!"

"He's older than you think. He takes a rejuvenation potion so he won't be recognized so easily."

Tom stared at her in disbelief. "He's… he's _really_ your _father_? But then, Sally! That means… that means that You-Know-Who _himself_… was your _grandfather_?"

Now it was Sally's turn to look puzzled. But she recovered quickly, and as she was sipping her drink, she said, smiling casually, "No, no, Tom! The man that was here with me that day, was not Voldemort's _son_, it was Voldemort _himself_!"

Now Tom _did_ drop his glass. As it smashed to the floor, he started stammering, and his face turned white.

"What… you… he… what? He… that was… that was… You-Know-Who _himself_?"

Sally nodded.

"Oh my!" He stammered. "Oh my, oh my! I… I could have been _dead_!"

Sally smiled at him. "Yes, I must say, I was a little concerned. He didn't seem exactly happy with you that day!"

Tom appeared to look even whiter than before. "But I didn't… I didn't know! If I had _known_…"

Sally shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Nothing happened, did it?"

But Tom was still staring at her. "But… but Sally, you just said… you just said that that young man, the one you were with… was your _father_?"

"Yes, he is. And he's still alive, by the way. There is no son, it was _him_ all along."

Tom kept staring at her. "_You_, are You-Know-Who's _daughter_, Sally?"

She nodded, as suddenly a bunch of Death Eaters appeared around them. Sally stared at them in surprise.

"Alright," said one of them. "Which one of you mentioned his name?"

Sally recognized the man talking, as she now recognized just about _all_ the Death Eaters. She knew his name to be Brian Slater.

"That was _me_," she said.

"Then you're coming with us!" he shouted.

"Why, you're going to take me home?" Sally said with a laugh.

The man looked puzzled.

"Slater!" Sally said. "It's me! Sally! Look at me!"

She took her hair out, and as it rolled over her shoulders, although the wrong color, comprehension dawned in the man's eyes. His eyes grew wide.

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry, my Lady. I didn't realize. I didn't recognize you right away!"

"No, that's the idea. I'd rather not be recognized when I go out."

"Alright," said the man. "But could you er… please not mention his name anymore? It's taboo you know."

"Okay. Sorry. I won't do it again."

And they disappeared.

"_My lady_?" said Tom, stunned.

"Not _my_ idea," said Sally. "I think it sounds stupid."


	65. Harry's Place

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking to each other at the new Head Quarters of the Order of the Phoenix, which was once again number 12 Grimmauld Place. Kingsley and Mr. Weasley had been working on the protection, and they had put a new Fidelius charm on it. Harry, as the owner of the house, had been designated as the Secret Keeper. Kreacher was also back to take care of everyone, and he did a _great_ job at that.

"So we're not involving Draco after all then?" said Hermione.

"No," said Harry. "Not right now."

"I don't see why we would need that git, anyway," said Ron. "He's bound to ruin everything for us."

"Yeah, you know his opinion on Muggles and Muggle-borns," said Harry. "We can't trust him."

"I don't know," said Hermione. "He doesn't seem to be in his inner circle anymore for some reason, and you know his parents betrayed You-Know-Who. Besides, he was _very_ helpful the last time Harry spoke to him."

"Still, it'll be his chance to make up for it, won't it?" said Harry. "Think about it. He'd be making up for his parents' mistakes, be back in You-Know-Who's good graces, and probably get to go out with Sally again on top of it! There'd be too many benefits for him to turn against us! No, I think we need to leave him out of it."

"But Dumbledore said we needed to involve him," protested Hermione.

"Dumbledore has admitted _himself_ that he _does_ make mistakes on occasion, though," answered Ron.

Hermione gave him an angry look. She clearly didn't agree. "Yeah, but how often _has_ he been wrong, really?" she said in a snide voice.

Nobody said anything.

"Whatever," said Harry. "We'll do without him. I think we can do it."

"Do you _really_ think she's his daughter, though?" said Hermione.

"Yes," said Harry. "Dumbledore seemed pretty positive about that. And, think about it, it would explain… well, everything!"

"It certainly would explain his interest in her," said Hermione pensively.

"But he could just be interested in her because she's pretty, couldn't he?" said Ron.

"There would be no point in training her, then, would there? Besides, why would he make her go out with Draco, in that case?" said Hermione.

Ron shrugged. "A lot of guys like her, though," he protested. "Would use _any_ excuse to keep her around!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron! We're talking _You-Know-Who_ here. I don't think he is quite as shallow-minded as _you_, you know!"

"Whatever," said Harry. "We'll find out for sure soon enough. She goes to the Leaky Cauldron a lot. The next time she does, we'll do it."

"If she's really his daughter though, he won't be happy," said Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "I've made him unhappy before. He's got to be used to that by now."

----------

They didn't have to wait long. Within a few days, Sally was back in the Leaky Cauldron. She passed through at first, on her way to Diagon Alley, but once she was done _there,_ she came back. She ran into Harry immediately.

"Hi, Sally," said Harry.

"Harry!" exclaimed Sally, a smile on her face. "How are you? I haven't seen you for a _long_ time!"

Harry smiled too. "No it's been a while. And the last time wasn't particularly pleasant, either, was it?"

"No," she said, with a guilty smile. "I'm sorry. I mean, I know sorry doesn't even _begin_ to make up for it, but I didn't mean for _any_ of that to happen!"

"It's okay," said Harry. "We know it wasn't your fault." He stared at her. "But listen, Sally, we need your help."

"My help?" Sally said with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"We need to talk to you, Sally, urgently. Could you please come with us for a little while, so we can talk?"

Sally only just noticed that there were quite a few people behind her now, including Ron and Hermione. She looked around at them.

"Oh, hi Ron, Hermione. You're here too?" Then she turned back to Harry. "Can't we talk _here_, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "We need some privacy, Sally."

"Where do you want to go, then?"

He shook his head again. "I can't tell you, I'm afraid."

"Harry! I can't just go with you if I don't know where we're going! There's got to be a place where we can talk privately that you can tell me about?"

"No. I'm sorry, Sally, but we really need you to come with us."

Sally looked around again. There were quite a few Order members around her. She looked around the bar to see if there were any Death Eaters, but there were none. She shook her head. "I can't. I'll meet up with you somewhere else, some other time, I promise. But I can't come with you now! Especially not if I don't know where we're going!"

Harry pulled a sour face. "Please, Sally. I'd much rather you'd come with us voluntarily."

"Voluntarily?" she said suspiciously, as she reached for her wand.

It wasn't there. She looked back at Harry in shock.

He had taken out his wand, and grasped her arm. "I'm sorry, Sally," he said, as he turned with her on the spot.

----------

And so they arrived at #12 Grimmauld Place. They all sat down at the kitchen table. Sally was looking uncomfortable; she was wondering what they were up to.

"Alright, we have to ask you some questions now Sally," Harry began. "As you will already have guessed, they will be about You-Know-Who."

Sally snorted. Yes, that would have indeed been her guess.

"First of all," said Harry. "We think you have been lying to us before. You know, the last time you were at the ministry?"

Sally looked guilty. "Yes, I did. I _had_ to, at that time."

"So, who is living with you, Sally? Is it You-Know-Who himself, or his son?"

"Himself," she replied.

There was quiet for a moment.

"And what is his relationship to you, Sally?"

Sally stared at the table for a moment. Then she sighed, and looked Harry right into his eyes. "He's my _father_, Harry," she said softly.

Harry swallowed hard, and some of the others gasped. "So… so it's _true_, then? We suspected something like that."

"Yes, it's true. I have known this for over a year now."

"Since the summer before last?"

"Yes. As I said before, I ran into him, accidentally. I think he recognized my name. Plus he told me I look like my mother. He never knew she was ever pregnant, of course."

"Did your mother ever talk about him?" said Harry with a frown.

Sally laughed sarcastically. "She never even realized she ever met him! Memory charm, you see. I'm sure she _would_ have told me otherwise."

Harry stared at her for a moment. "But… how can you be sure he's your father, then?"

"Well, I _wasn't_ sure at first. Although it seemed likely! I'm a witch, you see, no one else in my family can perform magic. And I'm also a Parselmouth."

"You can talk to snakes too?" said Harry. He remembered Draco telling him this, but he hadn't been sure whether Draco was speaking the truth or not.

She nodded. "Yes. A bit unusual for a Muggle-born, isn't it?"

Nobody said anything.

"He also guessed immediately what month I was born in. Besides, lots of things have happened after that, that proved beyond any doubt that he _is_, indeed, my father. I can't go into detail, but I _know_ he is."

"So there is absolutely no son," Harry said.

Sally shook her head. "No son."

"So why does he look so different?"

"Have you seen him?"

"No," said Harry. "But he's been described to me. Apparently he looks like the younger Tom Riddle now?"

She nodded. "It's just a rejuvenation potion."

"A rejuvenation potion?" Hermione gasped. "I thought those didn't exist! They're supposed to be legend only!"

Sally smiled. "No. No legend, it exists. He made it himself. It works pretty well, believe me!"

Hermione looked at her in awe. "Wow! That's… that's…" She looked around her. "Pretty good," she finished. She had wanted to say 'amazing', but considering who they were talking about, she decided that that wasn't entirely appropriate.

"He seems to be able to make a lot of potions other people can't," Sally said pensively, thinking about the potion that got around her claim.

"Yes, yes, he's clearly very talented!" said Harry, irritated. "But that's not the point! He's _evil_! You _do_ know that, Sally, don't you?"

Sally looked guilty again. "Yes. Yes, I _do_ know that, of course."

"Do you approve of what he is doing?"

She looked up in horror. "What? _No_! _Of course_ not! What do you think, Harry?"

"Well, you're not exactly trying to stop him, are you?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Harry! How can I? I can't change who he is! I tried! I did win a few things. He's not tried to kill _you_, for example, has he? Or you, Hermione? Or Ron?"

They all stared at her. "No," said Harry. "And we heard you had something to do with that. So it _was_ because of _you_, that he never came after us?"

Sally nodded. "Yes. I made a deal with him. He promised to leave you alone. Provided you didn't get in his way, of course."

"What was your end?" said Hermione.

Sally looked puzzled.

"You said you made a deal, which means you must have given up something in return."

Sally laughed. "Oh, yeah. Yes, I did. But I can't tell you what _that_ is."

"Why not?"

"It's not important to you. And it's personal."

Hermione looked at her suspiciously. "Hmm," she said, but left it at that. Then she seemed to think of something else. "Anyway, what about Draco, Sally?"

Sally looked puzzled again. "What about him?"

"Why did You-Know-Who force you to go out with him?"

"Oh, that! Because… well, I, er… he didn't like my opinion on… stuff. He told me Draco would be good for me since he had the right 'ideas'"

Hermione gave Harry and Ron a smug look. "I thought so! But why him? Why not somebody else?"

"Because," Sally said, blushing now. "He knew that I _loved_ Draco, and that _he_ loved _me_, too."

Harry and Ron looked highly surprised at this. Hermione was still looking smug.

"Yes, I know that," Hermione said. "But then, why did he have to force you?"

Sally sighed. All this seemed so weird now, considering her current situation. "I didn't want to see him anymore, _because_ of his ideas. We had split up. I couldn't support the feelings he had towards Muggles and Muggle-borns. Also, I didn't like that he supported… well… You-Know-Who, my _father_."

"So you really _aren't_ supporting what he's doing, then," said Harry.

She looked at Harry in surprise. "Really Harry! Did you ever doubt that? How could I ever support racism, prejudice and murder? As far as I'm concerned, Muggles and Muggle-borns are people just like any other witch or wizard. I was living as a Muggle-born myself for a while, remember?"

They all stared at her.

"But you're You-Know-Who's daughter!" exclaimed Ron.

"Yes. So?"

"Well, he's the most evil wizard the world has ever seen!"

"I _know_ that!" she said sharply.

"Then you will help us get rid of him?" said Harry.

She stared at him. "Get rid of him? You mean, kill him?"

"Yes," Harry said. "Kill him. For good, this time!"

Sally shook her head. An incredulous smile formed on her lips. "You're crazy! I could never help you with that! He's my _father_!"

"But he's _evil_! You said so yourself!"

"Yes, but he's still my father! I don't want him _dead_!"

"So you're okay with him taking over the world then? Slaughtering Muggle-borns, and killing Muggles for fun? Torturing and killing everyone who doesn't agree with him? You're okay with that?"

Sally had tears in her eyes now. "No, of course I'm _not_ okay with that! I think it's horrible! But I can't help you _kill_ him… That's…that's ridiculous! You can't _possibly_ ask that of me!"

"We can't do it without you," said Harry.

"Well, whatever, you won't be doing it _with_ me, either," said Sally. She was visibly upset. "Now, I'd like to go home. Can I have my wand back, please?"

"No," said Harry. "You can't have it back, you can't go. We need you, Sally! He _has_ to go!"

"Sally," began Hermione, in a softer tone. "He's not exactly _nice_ to you, is he?"

Sally frowned. "How would _you_ know that?" she yelled at her. "He is! He is _very_ nice to me, in fact! He… he… he _loves_ me!"

"He… what?" Hermione struggled not too laugh. "He… _LOVES_ you?"

"_Yes_," Sally said, fire burning in her eyes.

"You-Know-Who is _incapable_ of love," Harry said.

"That's what _you_ think," said Sally defensively.

"Sally," Hermione began again. "You… you remember when you saved us from him? At Spinner's End?"

"Yes?" said Sally, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, remember how you told us how bad it was for you after that? Worse than death? How you ran away because of what had happened to you?"

"Yes?" Sally said quietly.

"He tortured you, didn't he?" Is that something a _loving_ father would do to his daughter?"

"It was _Bellatrix_, who tortured me," Sally said. "Not him."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. She obviously did not know this.

"_Bellatrix_?" But then she recovered, "And Bellatrix did this of her own accord?"

Sally blushed a little now. "No," she said softly. "_He_ ordered her to."

"Well then!" said Hermione. "Your own _father_ ordered someone to torture you! How bad was it, Sally?"

Sally didn't reply for a few seconds. "Very bad," she whispered, finally.

"Did you beg her to kill you instead, Sally?"

Sally nodded quietly.

"And did she continue torturing you, after that?"

"Yes," Sally whispered.

"What did she use, the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Yes."

"Wow," said Hermione. "He sure must _love_ you, Sally!"

Sally turned around sharply now. "He would have _killed_ me if he didn't!" she exclaimed, much louder now.

Hermione was taken aback for a moment by Sally's sudden outburst.

Harry put a hand on Sally's arm now. "He probably cares about you somewhat since you're his _own_ flesh and blood. But a _loving_ parent would never have ordered _anyone_ to use the Cruciatus Curse on their daughter!"

Sally pulled her arm away from him. "You're _wrong_!" she shouted, as tears were falling down her cheeks. "You're _wrong_! Maybe he didn't quite love me yet, at the time. He barely knew me, after all. But he _definitely_ does _now_!"

Nobody said anything for a moment.

"Sally," Hermione began. "I know he's the only family you have left. And you probably really _want_ him to love you. But think about it, really. Would your mother have been okay with you helping him doing what he is doing?"

"I'm not _helping_ him!" she cried.

"Well, in a way you _do_, since you're not helping _us_," said Hermione again.

Sally shook her head again. "You're asking me to help you _kill_ him! How can I?"

"Defeat him, at least," Hermione said.

"You would _have_ to kill him. He cannot be defeated any other way!"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe we can _find_ another way."

Sally looked at her cynically. "Yeah, right. Whatever. I'm _not_ helping you. Not with _that_!"

Hermione sighed.

"Why are you not with Draco anymore now?" said Harry, changing the subject. "Didn't you say that you love him?"

"I do," said Sally with a wry smile. "But I can't _be_ with him anymore."

"But you _were_ during summer school, this summer, weren't you?" said Harry with a frown.

"Yes," Sally admitted. "But as I said, I can't be with him anymore now."

"Why not?" asked Harry.

Sally shrugged.

"I _know_ why," said Harry.

Sally stared at him with her eyes opened wide. He _couldn't_ know, could he? _Could he_?

"Yes," said Harry, with a grin. "It's obvious, isn't it? Draco's mother _betrayed_ You-Know-Who. She told him I was dead, when she knew I wasn't. I'm actually surprised he hasn't killed her for that. But that was you too, wasn't it, Sally? Didn't you stop him from killing Draco's mother?"

Sally gave a brief nod.

Harry smiled. "I knew it. The Malfoys are out of his graces, aren't they? He would have killed them if it wasn't for you. But he _certainly_ wouldn't have you go out with Draco anymore, right?"

Sally nodded briefly again. It was sort of true. Somewhat. Although not completely. But she wasn't about to enlighten him about the 'other reason'. Harry was grinning now, clearly because he thought he'd hit the nail on the head.

"There you go! He's even stopping you from being with the person you love! What kind of _loving_ father would do that?"

Sally sighed again. Then she said, resolutely, "I don't care what you say and what you think, Harry. I know better. I _know_ my father loves me, and I am not about to help you kill him, or defeat him, whatever. I can't. And I won't. I'm sorry, but nothing you say will convince me otherwise. So you might as well let me go. I'm no threat to you personally, you know that. So keeping me here serves no purpose to you."

Harry sighed too. This was harder than he thought it would be.

"Still, we can't let you go. We have no option, we _have_ to stop him. And you will _have_ to help us, like it or not."

"What?"

"You'll have to stay. You'll be sleeping in Hermione's room, she will guard you. You can't have your wand, obviously."

Sally's eyes went wide. "You're… you're keeping me here?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Sorry."

Sally shook her head. "You're making a mistake. He's going to be upset!"

"Yes, I realize that," said Harry resignedly.


	66. Protection

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: DilatedPupil, thank you so much for your review! I have responded to it, I hope you received it. **

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In the mean time, Voldemort was making plans himself. He'd quickly found out that Sally was missing, due to reports of his Death Eaters who had seen her in Diagon Alley, then seen her going into the Leaky Cauldron, and never coming back out. He had gone to the Leaky Cauldron himself and via Legilimency found out from Tom, the barman, what had happened. So now he knew that Sally had been involuntarily taken by Harry Potter and his friends, and he was far from happy about that.

----------

Harry had intended to send Voldemort a message the next morning. He had assumed that would be round about the time Voldemort would discover that Sally was missing. Obviously, Harry had no idea how _deep_ their relationship really _was_, and not known that he would miss her _well_ before that.

They were all sitting in the kitchen having breakfast, Sally included, when Perglassis appeared with a message for Harry.

Sally looked sharply up at Harry, as she reached over to pet Perglassis. He gave a happy hoot, jumped on her shoulder and nibbled her ear affectionately, making her giggle, before he took off again.

"You know that owl?" said Hermione.

"It's ours," said Sally. "The message must be from… _him_, right?"

Harry nodded. "Well, that was quick! He's sure keeping an eye on you, Sally!"

Sally smiled as she stared into her coffee.

"What's it say?" said Ron, curiously.

"Not much. 'Meet me at 10:00 a.m., in the meadow behind the Hog's Head.' signed, 'L.V.'"

"_You_ were supposed to write," said Hermione. "Not him!"

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. I'll talk to him. We need a delay. I don't think he'll kill me, because he wouldn't want to endanger his daughter, would he?"

Hermione looked very white. "I don't know, Harry. Would he _really_ care? It might be the ideal opportunity for him to kill you!"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

"We'll come with you, then," said Hermione.

"No. I should do this alone. I don't want to put _you_ at risk as well! That way, if anything happens to me, you guys can continue."

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," said Hermione.

"Hermione, think of the big picture. If we _all_ go, he can get rid of _all_ the opposition with one good sweep! The less of us there are, the better! And if he _really_ wants Sally back, he knows he's better off keeping me alive."

Hermione looked at him sternly. "Still, I don't like it. Can't we just not go at all, then?"

"I want to know what he's got to say. I'll be careful. I can always just apparate back."

----------

And so Harry went by himself. He got there at exactly 10, and found himself eye-to-eye with Voldemort and two of his Death Eaters.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said. "We meet again. Finally!"

Harry stared at him. It was strange, looking at this younger version of Voldemort. Yet, Harry knew almost instantly, as soon as he laid eyes on him, that this was Voldemort himself, not his son.

Voldemort took a step closer to him. "Today, however, I am not going to try to kill you, since… you have something that belongs to _me_." He paused, and smirked. "You have probably figured it out by now. My _daughter_, Harry. I should like to have her back."

Harry shook his head. "She is not in any danger, we're just talking to her. We used to be friends, you know."

Voldemort laughed softly. "Ah! You're talking to her, like old friends!" He paused for a second. "That would explain why your friends had to take her wand away just before you disapparated with her. Right, Harry?"

Harry swallowed. "She needed a little… convincing. But she's happily talking to us now!"

"Hm. Yes, it took me a little… _convincing_, too, to take something that I believe belongs to you."

Harry shook his head. "_What_? What are you talking about?"

Voldemort pointed his wand next to him and muttered something. Immediately a figure appeared, lying on the ground; a red-headed girl, who was moaning softly.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, in shock.

"Yes, I thought you would recognize her," Voldemort said, with a sly smile on his face. "Pretty girl, isn't she? Not quite as pretty as my Sally, of course. But still, I think my Death Eaters might enjoy her, don't you think?"

"What? No! NO! GINNY!" Harry screamed. "Leave her alone!"

"Er… no, I have no intention of doing _that_, I am afraid," Voldemort sneered, as he pointed his wand at her and yelled, "Crucio!"

Ginny started screaming. Harry ran towards her yelling her name, but Voldemort kept him away with a spell.

"_Let her go! Let her go! _She has _nothing_ to do with this! _Please_! STOP! STOP!"

There was great panic in his voice. Ginny, Ginny! How had he gotten to her? Harry thought she had been so well protected! Yet, there she was! His heart was breaking as he saw the girl he loved so much in agony.

He fell on his knees. "_Please_! Just… just stop torturing her, please! She has _nothing_ to do with this!"

"She has nothing to do with this, Harry? But I do not believe Sally has either!"

"I'll bring her back! I'll bring her back right now!" Harry screamed. "Just let Ginny go! I swear I'll bring Sally back!"

Voldemort stopped the spell on Ginny, and turned towards Harry.

"You get _five_ minutes, Harry. _Five minutes_, or your girlfriend will wish she was _never_ born."

Harry stared at him. He'd have to leave her. Leave Ginny! How could he leave her? But he had no option, he _had_ to!

"_Five minutes_," Voldemort said again.

------------

Harry disapparated immediately, and within moments he stormed into the kitchen of #12 Grimmauld Place.

"He's got Ginny!" Harry shouted. "He's got Ginny! We've got to bring Sally back to him!"

Sally looked bewildered.

"Come on!" Harry yelled, as he took her arm.

"My… my wand?" said Sally.

"I've got it!" Hermione yelled. "I'm coming!"

"Me too!" said Ron, and the three of them rushed out the door and apparated back to the meadow.

-----------

"Ah," said Voldemort. "You brought some friends along this time, Harry? Scared to face me by yourself now?"

But he saw Sally and his face lit up. He was _clearly_ happy to see her. He leaned over to Ginny and jerked her up by her arm. She was shaking.

"We swap. _Walk_, both of you!"

Both Sally and Ginny started walking. Ginny was clearly struggling, she looked like she was still in pain. Ginny reached Harry as Sally reached Voldemort, who put an arm around her and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. But he kept his eyes on Harry, and his wand ready; he looked like he was about to strike. Harry and his friends had seen it too.

"I… I don't have my wand, father," Sally whispered.

Voldemort lost his concentration for a moment, but then, instead of uttering what would have undoubtedly been a killing curse, he mumbled, "Accio Sally's wand!"

And Sally's wand flew out of Hermione's pocket towards him. Harry, Ron and Hermione, grateful for the reprieve when Voldemort retrieved Sally's wand, quickly disapparated back to where they came from, taking Ginny with them.

----------

The first thing Harry did when he got back, was talk to Ginny, to see if she was okay. "Ginny, Ginny, sweetheart! Are you okay?"

Ginny gave him a bewildered look. "Who… who's Ginny?" she stammered. "And… and where am I?"

Harry stared at her, puzzled and worried. "Ginny, Ginny, what have they done to you?" His voice started to break.

Then a thought occurred to Hermione, as she looked at the dazed girl. "What is your name, sweetheart?"

Harry now looked at Hermione as if she had gone crazy.

Ginny looked at Hermione. "My… my name is Angela."

Harry frowned. "_Angela?_ Ginny, no, you're not called Angela, you're called Ginny! You're my girlfriend! They must have confunded you or something!"

Hermione shook her head as the girl stared at Harry. "You're not my boyfriend!" she said softly. "I have never even seen you before!"

Hermione handed the shocked girl a mirror. "Are you a witch, Angela?"

"A… a _what_?" she replied.

Hermione gave her an understanding smile. "Look in the mirror. Do you recognize yourself?"

The girl looked in the mirror and let out a shriek. "Ahhhh! What… what happened to me?"

"Polyjuice potion," said Hermione. "It's okay, you'll be back to normal soon. Don't worry, we'll get you back home."

Harry's face was contorted. "Blast it," he said, in an angry voice. "Now we've lost our advantage! How could I have been so stupid?"

"Not stupid," said Hermione. "That could have happened to anyone! You had no time to check, did you? You couldn't have taken the risk!"

"But I should have known! I made _sure_ she was well-protected. There is _no way_ he could have gotten to her! I should have known!" And he swore heavily under his breath.

"Whatever," said Hermione. "We're home safe, aren't we? I thought for a minute he was going to kill us all."

"He _was_ going to," Harry said. "If it hadn't been for Sally's wand…"

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "He chose to retrieve Sally's wand, rather than kill you," said Hermione. "When he could have so easily killed you! He _must_ care for her more than we thought!"

"Yes," said Harry. "He _does_! Did you see the look on his face when he saw her?"

"Yes," said Hermione.

"It was kind of creepy," said Ron.

Both Harry and Hermione looked at Ron. "Creepy?" said Hermione.

"Yes," said Ron. "_Creepy_, seeing him display affection! He hugged and kissed her! UGH!"

"Hmph," said Harry. "Even more reason we should have hung on to her."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think it would have made a difference," said Hermione.

"Why not?" said Harry, frowning.

"We still would have had to convince her to help us. That wasn't exactly going very well, was it?"

Harry and Ron looked depressed. "No," said Harry. "It was a disaster, really! I didn't think she was going to give us such a hard time. She's such a _good_ girl, I had never thought she would get _that_ attached to someone as _bad_ as _he_ is!"

"I know," said Hermione. "Still, he _is_ her father, after all. And the only family member she has left."

"Only because _he_ killed her original father!" said Ron.

They stared at Ron again. "Yeah, well, whatever," said Hermione. "It's pretty clear she's got some kind of bond with him. And it's _obviously_ stronger than anything she ever had with the man she thought was her father before."

"So _now_ what do we do," said Harry, shaking his head somberly. "She was our only hope!"

"I don't know," said Hermione. "I don't know…"

----------

As soon as Sally and her companions got back home, Voldemort dismissed the Death Eaters and took Sally upstairs to their room. There, he pushed her against the wall and rounded on her.

"What happened," he yelled at her. "How could you let them get your wand?"

"I… I thought… I thought they were my friends," she stammered.

"_Friends_," he shouted. "_Friends_! Some _friends_! Anyway, I _told_ you never to trust anyone! And to _always_ keep track of your wand!"

She blinked. She felt tears swelling up behind her eyelids again. She could see the anger in his face.

"I… I didn't think… I didn't expect…" she cried, and tears started falling down her cheeks.

He stared at her, and she saw his anger dissipate slowly. He put a hand in her hair, and pulled her against his chest. Then he pulled back, looked at her, and kissed her softly.

"Take your clothes off and get into bed," he said.

She did as he told her to do. He went to sit next to her, put a spell on her and just sat and watched her, letting his eyes and hands wander over her body as the spell was taking hold of her. He continued doing this until well after the spell had reached its completion. Then he left, without another word.

Later that day, Wolny came over to tell her she was to go and see him in the living room, his usual meeting place. Sally was puzzled. He would never ask her to meet him there anymore, not since they were living in the same room! But she went anyway.

He looked up at her as she came in. "Sally. I was… concerned about you, last night." He paused. "I have decided you should be able to contact me. All my Death Eaters can, after all. _You_ should be able to as well."

Sally stared at him. She had a funny feeling about this. A feeling she might know where this was going, and she did _not_ like it!

"Give me your left arm, Sally."

"No!" she cried out, her voice high, almost bordering on hysterical. "I don't… I don't want to! I don't want that… that _thing_ on my arm!"

He laughed. "What, the _Dark Mark_, Sally?" he said, as he took a step towards her. "Why not? Don't you like it?"

She looked horrified.

"Don't worry," he laughed. "You won't get _exactly_ that. _Yours_ will be _special_."

He grabbed her arm, and pointed his wand at her sleeve. It came off, leaving her arm bare. She swallowed hard, and averted her eyes, as he moved his wand towards her arm. It hurt. It definitely hurt. She bit her lip and tried not to show her pain.

"Good girl," he said finally. "You're all done!"

She looked at the inside of her left arm. There was a mark. It was small, _much_ smaller than the Dark Mark. There were just three letters, encircled by a snake… D, A, and then D again.

"Dad!" she gasped.

He grinned. "If you touch that, I will be able to find you, wherever you are. Even if you are within the boundary of a protective charm, I can still get to you. As long as you touch it."

He looked down at her and touched her face. "There, that's better. Now I can be sure you will always be safe!"

He turned around and pointed his wand at her broken sleeve. "Reparo," he muttered, and the sleeve re-attached itself.

"You may go," he said, finally.


	67. Getting Out

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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For a little while, everything appeared to have gone back to normal. But then one day, Sally spotted someone in Diagon Alley who made her heart stop for a moment.

It was Draco. But he wasn't alone! There was a girl with him. Sally thought she recognized her as Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl from Sally's year. She stared at them as they were walking along. No… it wasn't her. But she _did_ look like her a lot! They had to be family, possibly sisters. Sally's heart was pounding and she started to shake. What was he doing with _her_? They seemed _very_ comfortable together. Had he forgotten about Sally _already_?

She followed them from a distance for a little while. She was breathing rapidly now. What was their relationship, she wondered? It must be a working relationship, or friendship, or something, right?

But that theory went out of the window as they stopped to look at a shop window a little further along. Draco put an arm around the girl and kissed her on her cheek. The girl giggled.

Sally stood as if frozen. She could not see anything else anymore. A mist had descended upon her. She was no longer breathing, and she didn't think she ever would again. He had a new girlfriend!

As they moved on, Sally was left standing there, not moving, barely breathing, and her mind a jumble of thoughts. She swallowed hard. Someone bumped into her. "What ye standing still for, in the middle of the road? Keep movin', Missy," she heard someone say, seemingly from miles and miles away.

Sally was still staring. Inwardly, she felt like screaming. This could not be true, could it? He _loved_ her, didn't he? He loved only _her_, Sally. She _knew_ he did! _Why_ was he with someone else? She must be dreaming… a nightmare!

After a few more people ran into her, she finally started to move. But she wasn't looking where she was going. She was just wandering, aimlessly, not knowing where she was or where she was going. Draco! Draco, Draco! _Her_ Draco! How could he? He couldn't do this to her, could he? He was _hers_, no one else's! Certainly not that… that girl's!

Sally had no idea where she was, and she didn't care. She was wearing a cloak with the hood up so her face was covered in shadow, and with her short dark hair peaking out, no one knew who she was. She pressed herself with her back against a wall, looked up at the sky, and sighed deep. Her legs were shaking. She found she didn't want to stand on them anymore, so she sank downwards to the ground.

She was in some sort of dark and deserted alleyway, and there was nobody around. She hid her face in her hands. 'Draco,' she thought. Draco! And she felt a sudden inexplicable desire to see him, to hold him. She missed him. She hadn't even realized exactly _how_ much she had missed him! But _now_ she did. And _now_ it was too late, wasn't it? He'd found himself a new girlfriend! Tears filled her eyes, and she started crying. Softly at first, but soon, she was bawling, hiding her face in her arms, trying to make herself as small as possible. She could almost _feel_ her heart break… _again_.

Sally must have sat there for hours, incapable of any kind of rational thought. All she could think of was the blond boy that she had thought was _hers_ exclusively, for eternity, and who now turned out _not_ to be. It was a chilly night and Sally started to shiver. It had started going dark. It was early January, so it was getting dark early. She had no idea where she was. She knew she should go home, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to go home. She wouldn't be alone at home. And she _needed_ to be alone right now!

So she stayed where she was. Her mind was racing. She had been stupid, foolish! She should have expected this! She was no longer with him, was she? She couldn't possibly expect him to remain by himself for the rest of his life! Sally had made her choice, after all, hadn't she? She sobbed.

But so soon? Only a few months had passed. Did he even _think_ about her still? What if he didn't? What if he'd forgotten all about her? What if she was no longer on his mind? She shivered again, but this time, it was _not_ because of the cold.

She wondered if he knew where she was living. Did he _know_ she had been lying to him? Had he figured out who her '_cousin'_ was? He probably had. He probably knew _exactly_ who she was with, and what she was doing with him. Probably better than anyone else! So how could she even _expect_ him to stay faithful to her? She had lied and betrayed him! She had _used_ him! She had given him all she had and he had returned the favor. And then she had cast him aside, for someone she should never have been with! And he _knew_ that! Merlin, he was probably _disgusted_ with her! No wonder he was moving on!

She pressed the palms of her hands on her eyes. Everything was so wrong with her life, _everything_! Harry, Ron and Hermione had been right. Why was she with her father? She didn't approve of _anything_ he was doing at all! _Nothing_! He was keeping her hostage, doing stuff with her that he _shouldn't_ be doing! But she was _enjoying_ that, wasn't she? _Wasn't she_? Or was she just trying to make _him_ happy? _Because he was her father_? Because she wanted his approval, his _love_?

But it was because of _him_ that she couldn't see Draco anymore. It was because of _him_ that Draco was now seeing someone else.

And, more than that, Harry, Hermione and Ron knew it. He was _evil_. He killed a person as easily as an insect. He had no conscience. People were dying, left right and center. Because of _him_.

No, because of _her_! It was _her_ fault he was back! _She_ had brought him back! So _she_ was really to blame for every person that had died after he had come back! And there were _hundreds_. She _knew_ there were hundreds! And it was all _her_ fault! _Everything_ was _her_ fault! And now she was being punished for it. Punished, by seeing the love of her life moving away from her, deserting her, moving on. And she cried again.

It was well past midnight when Sally finally decided she had to go home. She couldn't _possibly_ stay there any longer. So she got up and apparated to the Riddle House. She didn't want to be seen, she wished she still had her own room, so she could just sneak in and go to bed.

She had no desire to deal with anyone, so she cast a disillusionment charm on herself before she went inside. There were lights on everywhere. She crept upstairs, and saw the door of her old room ajar. She peeked in. Maybe she could go to sleep there? But she knew immediately that it was a no-go. There were about six single beds in her room now, and one of them was actually occupied. A man was sitting on it, looking at a piece of parchment.

She crept away from the room. She had no other option, she _had_ to go back to her father's room. She went inside, and breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't there. There was a couch in the room and she decided to lay down there. She was still invisible. Within moments, though, Feruca had smelled her and decided to lay on top of her. She started stroking the little snake. It was a strange sight, as the snake appeared to be floating in midair over the couch, but Sally was _too_ worn out to notice or even to care. And so she fell asleep, plagued by nightmares, all of them containing Draco and his new girlfriend.

----------

But she didn't get to sleep for very long. Soon, she was roughly awoken. She looked down at herself and found she was completely visible again. Her father was standing over her, and he was looking angry.

"_Where_ have you been, _how_ long have you been here, _why_ were you invisible, _why_ are you on the couch, and _why_ were you late?" he snapped at her.

She stared at him. She should have been afraid, but she wasn't. She felt sick, looking at him now. It was all _his_ fault! He had _no_ right to touch her, to sleep with her, to chase Draco away! She felt _resentment_ for him that was stronger than any kind of fear she may have been experiencing at the time.

"None of your business, leave me alone!" she bit at him.

He frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Leave me alone!" she yelled. "I need my privacy! I'm _sick_ of always being around you!"

He reached for her face, but she slapped his hand away.

"And don't touch me!" she screamed. "Don't touch me, _ever again_! You hear me?"

She jumped up off the couch as her tears started falling long and hard again. "You should _never_ have touched me! You had _no_ business _ever_ touching me! You… you…" she ran away from him towards a corner of the room, and as she had nowhere to go from there, she sank to the ground in a heap, leaned her head into her arms and cried and cried.

He was still standing next to the couch, a perplexed expression on his face, his arms folded. He didn't say anything, just stared at her. When it seemed she had finished talking, he finally spoke.

"You clearly must have had a bad day," he hissed, gritting his teeth. "We'll talk tomorrow."

And he left, without another word. Once he was gone, Sally reached out and pulled a blanket off the bed, curled up in the corner of the room she was sitting in, and continued to cry until she finally fell asleep.

----------

The next morning Sally woke up, crumpled in the corner of the room and confused. She was disoriented for a moment, until the memory of the night before came back to her. Oh, Merlin, she thought to herself. She was an idiot! What had she done? How would she ever explain this? She stumbled to her feet. Her body was hurting. She had not exactly been comfortable.

She crawled to her bed and fell on top of it. It was useless. _Everything_ was useless, her _life_ was useless. Maybe she should just die, so she wouldn't be a problem anymore, to anyone. She sighed. She stayed in the room for the rest of the day, feeling depressed and melancholic. Wolny brought her food, but she just picked at it, and didn't really eat much.

She was surprised she didn't see her father all day. She would have thought he'd be angry with her, and demand an explanation. And she had _no_ idea what to tell him! But she didn't actually see him until early that evening, when he finally turned up in the room with an odd expression on his face.

"Alright, Sally. I have no time for your little teenage tantrums any more, I'm _too_ busy for that. Besides, I'm not willing to put up with the attitude you are giving me. So, I've decided I am going to have to get rid of you for a while."

"What?" said Sally, bewildered. What was he talking about? He was getting _rid_ of her? What did he mean? "I… I'm sorry, father, I didn't mean it! I was just… I was just upset!"

"Yes, I understand you were upset. But you must always know _who_ you are talking to! You were very… disrespectful." He paused for a moment. Then he laughed softly. "You are going to have to get a _job_, Sally."

Her eyes opened wide. "What?" she said, perplexed.

"You can go back to your healer job, or do something else. You can teach at Hogwarts if you want. Whatever, I don't care. I am giving you two weeks to find something, or I will find something _for_ you."

"But… but… how can I?" she stammered. "A lot of people now know you're my father! Or at best, they think I'm your cousin! They would _never_ employ me!"

"On the contrary, _sweetheart_," he said, laughing sarcastically. "You will find few people will _refuse_ you a job now. You will be able to take your pick. Anyway, right now, I want you out of here."

She looked even more puzzled. "What… what do you mean, father?"

"I am throwing you out of my house. For two weeks, I think. You wanted privacy? You are getting it. You can leave _now_."

"I… I don't understand."

He sighed. "I do not want to see you for two weeks. You are getting out and you are not coming back until then. And make sure you have a job when you come back." He thought for a moment. "If anything happens, if you are in trouble, you know how to contact me. Otherwise, I will see you in two weeks." He stared at her. "_Goodbye, Sally_," he said harshly.

"I… I need to pack a few things," she stammered, in a soft voice.

"Fine. Then I will be back in 15 minutes. Make sure you are gone by then!"

And with that, he left.

Sally's mind was working overtime now. What the heck? He was throwing her out? Where… where would she go? What would she do? And she'd have to get a _job_ too? She hastily moved her wand around and various different items flew from a closet into a trunk. When it was full, she used a reductor spell on it and stuck it in her pocket.

She looked at her watch. Five Minutes left. She'd better make sure to get out! She rushed out of the room and down the stairs. She walked past the living room. She knew he'd be in there. Should she say goodbye? She decided she would. She knocked on the door, and walked in. He was by himself, and looked at her with an angry expression on his face.

"I… I just wanted to say goodbye," she said.

He raised his eyebrows, and turned his back towards her.

"Goodbye, Sally," he said in a harsh tone, without a hint of emotion.

And so she left.


	68. All Alone

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally wandered around outside the house she had called home, and into which she was now no longer allowed. Where would she go? She had money now, of course. Plenty, in fact. But still! She could go to the Leaky Cauldron and get a room there, but she didn't really _want_ to. People would ask what she was doing there, and she really didn't feel like talking about it. She wouldn't tell the truth, anyway, but she didn't want to make anything up, either. She'd been lying enough lately. But then what? Where else?

She sighed. She could go back to Purley. Boring as it was, she would get no questions there. And _plenty_ of privacy.

So that is what she did, back to Purley. She checked back into the Bed & Breakfast she used to stay at, unpacked and went to bed. She was exhausted; the emotional stress of the last few days had worn her out.

The next morning she got up to have breakfast in the dining room. She didn't eat much, as she didn't have her appetite back yet. Afterwards, she went back to her room to think. She had made a mess of _everything_. She couldn't even go back home anymore! She was _all_ alone now.

But that wasn't even the worst of it! The worst was, in her mind, still Draco. She swallowed hard. Why had she ever let him go? She _loved_ him! She loved him more than _anything_! She wanted to talk to him.

It was morning. She wondered if he was home. Did he have a job? Or was he training for one? She didn't even know! She had no idea what his plans had been, she had been so wrapped up in her own life, she had never even bothered to find out. She felt a pang of guilt. And now… it was too late, of course. He had someone else! He'd given up on her. Would he still see her? Or would he tell her to go away and leave him alone?

She sighed. There was only one way to find out. She had to go and see him. Sally got dressed. She took care to dress as prettily as she could. It was probably a waste of time, of course, he may not be in, or he may not want to see her. Or he could even be with… with _her_! She shivered. Still, as soon as she was ready, she apparated to Malfoy Manor.

-----------

As she was standing in front of the gate, at this _so_ familiar place she had called home for almost a year, she felt her heart pounding with excitement. She let the gate know who she was and that she wanted to see Draco, and waited patiently, her breathing shallow as she leaned against the fence, her eyes closed. She was hoping, oh, she was hoping _so much_ that he would see her!

And then, suddenly, he was there. Right next to her. If she reached out her hand, she could touch him. She stared at him. She was shaking with nerves, and bit her lip. She was breathing fast, and she thought he must surely hear her heart thumping.

"D… Draco," she stammered.

She realized she didn't even know what to say to him! She hadn't prepared. She had been _too_ preoccupied wondering if he was going to see her or not, that now, she had _nothing_ to say. But she wasn't able to utter more than his name anyway.

He stared at her, frowning, his arms folded. "What are _you_ doing here, Sally? What do you want from me?"

"I… I'm not… I'm not sure," she stuttered. "I… I saw you… a few days ago. I just… I just needed to see you."

"You needed to _see_ me?" he said harshly. "_Now_, you do?"

He sounded angry. Great, she'd now managed to anger everyone she cared about. All _two_ of them, she thought sarcastically.

"Yes. It… it was stupid. Stupid, really. I shouldn't have come. I'm… I'm sorry." She took a step back. She thought she'd better leave. But he took a step forward and grabbed her arm.

"Not so fast. What did you come here for?"

"I… I wanted to talk to you. But… I don't even know what to say, now. It just… none of it seems to make sense anymore."

She looked up at him. Tears were pricking behind her eyelids again. It was strange seeing him stand there, so distant, when they had been so close before! Oh, what she wouldn't give to be in his arms right now! She felt the warmth of his hand on her arm. It felt _so_ good. She didn't want him to let go of her, ever! But he did. He let go, and his eyes were cold as ice as he stared at her. He didn't say anything.

"You're… you're with someone else, aren't you?" Sally whispered.

He nodded.

She smiled wryly. "Do you love her?"

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "You're _swearing_ at me now, Sally?"

She giggled. She giggled, and she started crying at the same time. Tears fell down her cheeks as she giggled nervously. He was no longer smiling, and just stared at her.

"I… I should go," she said, through her tears. "I'm not supposed to be here."

He grabbed her arms again, both of them this time. "Sally. Are you happy? With… _him_?"

She gazed at him, unable to answer.

"I mean, has there ever been a moment, during which you wondered whether you did the right thing?"

She nodded. "All the time. But never more than… than when I saw you with… with that girl."

"Astoria."

She swallowed hard. "Yes," she said, looking away from him.

He let go of her, and she took a step back, as if she was going to leave. But then, suddenly, she turned around. "Draco?"

He didn't reply, but looked intently at her.

"Draco," she said again. "I'm… I'm sorry… for… for lying to you."

He nodded. "You're living at the Riddle House, now, aren't you?"

She stared at him. "Not… not right now, but… but generally, yes."

He frowned. "Not right now? Why not?"

"He, er…" she smiled faintly. "He… sort of… threw me out, last night. For a little while, that is."

His eyes opened wide. "He threw you _out_? Why?"

She shrugged. "I said some things. I guess I was, sort of… impertinent."

He narrowed his eyes. "And why did you do _that_?"

She shrugged again. "I was upset. It was right after… right after I'd seen you with… with her."

"Did you… mention my name?" he said with a frown.

She shook her head. "No," she said, and then, in a more sarcastic tone, "Don't worry, you're quite safe."

He stared at her again. She was _so_ beautiful, he thought to himself. How could he _ever_ let her go? "So, where do you live _now_, then?"

"In a small, boring Muggle town called 'Purley'. I'm staying at a Bed and Breakfast there. I'll be there for two weeks."

"Why two weeks?" he asked with a frown.

"Because after two weeks I'm allowed to go back home."

He had a strange look in his eyes that she couldn't quite figure out. "Does _he_ know where you are?"

She shook her head. "It's where I was hiding those two months last year, when nobody was able to find me."

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"I… I better go now. Bye."

"Bye," said Draco.

----------

She turned on the spot and apparated back to Purley. Draco remained standing there for a little while, staring at the spot where she had just stood. Then he apparated back into the house, dug through some papers to find a map of England, and searched for and found… the small town of Purley.

A few hours later, Draco was lying on his bed with his hands behind his head. Astoria had been with him when Sally had come to the gate, but the house elf who had come to bring him the message had been smart enough not to mention Sally's name in her presence. He had got rid of Astoria pretty quick after his conversation with Sally, saying that he was busy and that she needed to leave. But really, he just needed time to think.

He _liked_ Astoria. A lot, in fact. She had more appeal to him than Pansy had at the time. They had gotten together about a month ago, and he was really quite happy with her. She was no Sally, of course, but he had thought his relationship with Sally had been over, for good.

He had, of course, known she was living with the Dark Lord in the Riddle House, and he had _no_ doubt that she had a sexual relationship with him, _even_ though he was her father. Sally appeared to be okay with that, and there was absolutely _nothing_ Draco could possibly do to change that. He _was_ the Dark Lord, after all, the most powerful wizard the world had ever seen! What was he _supposed_ to do? Sally had been a lost cause. He'd been heartbroken for a while, but then Astoria had come along, and had made him feel better.

But now? She was back. And it was _very_ clear that she still cared about him. If it hadn't been for Astoria, he would have taken her inside, _and_ to bed with him. He was pretty sure she wouldn't have objected. But _then_ what? She'd go back to the Riddle House in two weeks, and he would lose her _again_. He wasn't sure he could handle that! He still loved her, he didn't think that was _ever_ going to stop. But she would never truly be _his_, not while the Dark Lord was still around. And it looked like he would be around for a long, long time, if not forever…

----------

Sally did very little that day; she spent most of her time in her room in Purley, not doing much more than think. The conversation she had had with Draco had failed to cheer her up. Clearly, he had moved on. He hadn't even wanted her to come into his house! She guessed she should have been happy he would even _talk_ to her. He'd been exceptionally distant to her though, and vague about his new girlfriend. It seemed he certainly cared about her, and had no intention of giving her up. Not that she could blame him, after the way Sally had treated him!

But it hurt, oh, goodness, it hurt so much! Seeing him standing there in front of her, she had been overcome with desire. But he had made it obvious that he was not interested. Although, at some point… she could have _sworn_ she had seen _something_. Something in the way he looked at her at certain times. But that must have been her imagination. Wishful thinking, maybe. No, it seemed pretty clear that Draco was history for her now. She had _lost_ him. So now, she _really_ was… _all_ alone.

----------

Harry had just come home from his day at the ministry. He sighed deep as he came into the kitchen, let himself sink into a chair and supported his head in his hands. He was getting desperate. Things were getting worse every day, as Voldemort's influence seemed to increase on a daily basis. He had discovered today that apparently a powerful wizard in the auror department, one whom he had trusted, who had been a good guy, never failing to do the right thing, had changed his opinion on _everything_, and now also seemed to be on Voldemort's side.

Harry had been astonished to discover this, and strongly suspected that the man had been put under the Imperius Curse, if it hadn't been for the fact that he knew the man to be exceptionally skilled at _resisting_ the Imperius Curse. Still, Harry was positive that _that_ was what had happened to him. But how? Had Voldemort found a way of putting the Imperius Curse on people without them being able to resist it? He shook his head. He didn't understand it. Soon, there would be nobody left to fight him anymore!

Muggle killings were getting out of control. Muggle-borns feared for their lives wherever they went. And he was especially concerned about Hermione, who was receiving death-threats every day. He couldn't understand why she insisted on going to work every day still, when there were so many against her now. Very few Muggle-borns were working anymore, certainly not at the ministry.

Of course, the ministry was still in the hands of the Order of the Phoenix for the time being, as Kingsley was still minister. So there was no Muggle-born registration committee, like there had been there previously. Not _yet_, anyway. But Harry was wondering how much longer that would last… He didn't exactly have high hopes for that, unfortunately.

He was mulling over Dumbledore's words in his head. Sally was our only hope, he had said. He was probably right, she _had_ been their only hope! But that hope was out of the window now. Sally didn't seem at _all_ prepared to cooperate. In fact, she seemed _happy_ with the life she was leading, and unwilling to do _anything_ that could possibly hurt her father, no matter _how_ evil she knew he was!

So now what? Give up? But he couldn't! Giving up, would mean giving up on Hermione. Giving up would mean living under Voldemort's dictatorship, fulfilling his every wish. Giving up would mean accepting that the ultimate sacrifice that his parents and his friends had made, had been in vain! He shook his head. He _couldn't_ give up. He just couldn't! There _had_ to be something. Something they hadn't tried yet, something that would give them some, however small, bit of hope. Something to hold on to. He was not prepared to give up and let Voldemort take over. Not _yet_, anyway. Not until he was _absolutely_ sure that there was not a grain of hope left in the world!

He sighed again. He kept coming back to Dumbledore's words; to use Draco to convince Sally to cooperate. He himself thought it was nonsense. First, he couldn't see why Draco would cooperate. He seemed even more likely than Sally to support Voldemort's reign. Second, why would _he_ be able to convince Sally, when Harry, Hermione and Ron had failed so miserably? Yes, she had admitted that she loved him. But would that really make a difference? Would she turn against her father, just because _Draco_ would ask her? He found that extremely hard to believe. And finally, wasn't it highly likely that Draco would turn them all in and therefore get on Voldemort's good side, and be given everything he wanted, _including_ Sally?

Harry put his face in his hands again. He didn't see much hope in this at all. Still, _Dumbledore_ had seen it. But why? Why did Dumbledore think there was any hope at all that way? He was usually right, although not always. Still, he thought to himself. Any ray of hope was better than none at all… Maybe he should talk to Draco again.

Thanks to the talk they had with Sally, he knew now that Draco had been totally honest with him the first time around. Maybe Dumbledore had seen some sort of change in him? He shrugged his shoulders. Whatever, he'd give it a try. He would go by himself, though, he was pretty sure no one else would support him in this. Not unless there was at least _some_ shred of evidence that Draco really _would_ be helpful.

----------

And so, that evening, which happened to be the evening of the day that Sally had gone to see Draco, Harry called at Malfoy Manor again. And for the second time that day, Draco apparated to the gates of his home.

"You again," he started, when he saw Harry.

"Me again," said Harry, with a weary smile. "We need your help, Draco, badly."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Are we on first name terms now Potter? And why do you keep needing my help? I thought you guys were so… competent! What could you possibly need _me_ for?"

"We need Sally. We think she is the only one who can help us defeat You-Know-Who. But she won't help us!"

Draco started laughing. "Why, you actually _asked_ her, Potter? Are you out of your mind? I could have told you she wouldn't help you. She's kind of… 'fond' of her father, you know."

Harry nodded. "Yes, we found that out too. But we're running out of options. Without her, we're done for. We will have lost…"

"Well, I guess you're done then. There's no way you'll get her to turn against her dad."

"You're right. There's no way _we_ can get her to turn against her dad. But I was wondering, if maybe _you_, can?"

Draco's eyes opened wide. "What? You want _me_, to convince her to turn against him?"

Harry nodded.

"_Why_ would I want to do that? And why would she even _listen_ to me?"

Harry shrugged. "I admit, it seems a practically impossible assignment. I have little hope that it will work, but it's… it's all we've got. If you could convince her to work with us…"

Draco stared at him. Was he serious? Potter actually wanted his help, defeating the Dark Lord?

"Of course I have _no_ idea how you would even get in touch with her. Furthermore, you're right, why would she listen to you? She told us she loved you, yes, but she said she loved her father too, so I guess…"

"Hang on a second. She told you she loved me? When did she say _that_?"

"A few weeks ago when we captured her."

"You _captured_ her?"

"Yes. Not for long, though. He _himself_ came to get her back. We only had her for one evening and night. She was back in the morning."

Draco stared at him. Why would Sally tell Harry and his friends that she loved _him_, Draco?

Harry looked depressed. "I don't even know what I am doing here. No one else thinks you've got a chance. I just thought…" He looked sharply at Draco. "Forget it. Just forget it. Forget I was ever even here."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Alright then."

"Thanks anyway," said Harry, and he disapparated.

Draco once again stared at the spot where Harry had stood moments before. This was getting weirder and weirder, he thought to himself.


	69. The Turning Point

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was still depressed the next day when she woke up, and dragged herself out of bed. She remembered she was supposed to get a job in these two weeks, so maybe she should make a start on that today, for lack of anything better to do.

When she got down to the dining room the owner of the Bed & Breakfast, an elderly lady, greeted her happily. "Good morning, Sally."

Sally gave her a polite smile. "Good morning. What's for breakfast today?"

"Actually," said the woman, smiling friendly at her. "There's a handsome young man waiting for you outside. He said he'll take you _out_ for breakfast!"

Sally looked up in shock. "What? What… what did he look like? What's his hair color?"

"Well… he's blond."

"Are… are you sure?" stammered Sally.

"Oh yes! He's white, white blond. Unusual, I must say. Lighter than you, even."

'Draco!' Sally thought with a shock. It was him! And she ran out the door, without another word.

"Well I never!" she heard the lady mumble behind her.

As soon as she got outside, Sally looked fervently around her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. And then she saw him! He walked up to her with a grin on his face.

"Wow. Purley, huh? Exciting place! How did you find this, er… sensational hotspot?"

She laughed. It was him. It was really him! She felt like dancing. "I just… got on the train, closed my eyes and got out somewhere."

"Next time, I suggest you keep your eyes _open_. Anyway, does this hellhole have a place to eat anywhere?"

"Yes." Sally's eyes were sparkling. "There's a restaurant. I used to work there!"

He frowned. "Let me guess. You were cleaning tables?"

"No, not that time," she laughed. "I was a waitress."

"Even worse! You were almost like… a house elf, then, weren't you?"

She laughed.

----------

He stared at her. She was even more beautiful than the day before. She was smiling now, and her smile was breathtaking. He didn't really want to eat, he wanted to go back into that Bed & Breakfast and, er… 'explore her room'! But he knew he shouldn't. This is why he had been waiting for her outside, so that he would be able to resist the temptation. "So where is that place then?"

"I'll show you. Come on!"

She walked ahead of him, and as she was walking, her bottom was swaying slightly beneath her flowing blonde locks. He couldn't help staring at it, and felt a hardening in his pants. He sighed. The effect this girl had on him! She was _so_ very hard to resist!

----------

Once they got to the restaurant they got a seat as far away from everyone else as possible. The staff recognized her, of course, and some started talking to her. In a polite way, she got rid of them as quickly as she could. They ordered coffee and sat down. Soft music was playing in the background. The song was beautiful, and seemed so appropriate! 'Misused, Mistakes, Too long, too late…' Sally shivered. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, as they were staring into each other's eyes.

Then he started. "So, Sally. How's living in the Riddle House?"

"Well, er…" she stammered.

He leaned over to her and put his hand on her arm. "How often does he come to your room, Sally? Every week? Every night?"

She stared at him in shock. "I… I…"

He waited expectantly for her answer.

She took a deep breath. He was getting right to the point. She hadn't wanted to discuss this just yet. "Actually, I… I don't have my own room." She blushed.

He frowned. "What? You're sharing? Who are you sharing with? Don't tell me you're sharing with… with _him_?"

She looked down at the table, as she was blushing even more.

"You are!" he exclaimed, and withdrew his hand. "Are you… are you actually sleeping in his _bed_?"

She gave a brief nod, still looking at the table, as she had a hard time looking at Draco right now. She glanced at him for a moment, but the look of disgust on his face made her cringe.

"Sally!" he tried to keep his voice down, but was visibly struggling. He swallowed. "You're… you're having sex with your _father_, every night?"

"No! No, not every night!" She paused a second, as he was looking at her in horror. "It is actually possible to sometimes sleep in the same bed as someone else without having sex, you know," she whispered.

"Not with _you_, it isn't!" he snapped back at her.

He started to stare out of the window, as Sally looked back down at the table again. There was silence.

After they got some coffee, he finally started talking again.

"How _could_ you, Sally?" He said quietly.

"It... it wasn't my idea," she defended herself.

"But you're okay with it!"

"I wasn't, at the time. I got used to it, that's all."

He stared at her again. Then he looked out of the window for a moment, before he directed his gaze back at her. "So, are you happy now then, Sally? Is this what you wanted? Living with your daddy, _literally_, doing Merlin knows _what_ with him? For the rest of your life?"

She bit her lip. "No, of _course_ that's not what I wanted. I _never_ wanted that! It's just… it's just what happened, in the end."

"But _you_ did that, you _yourself_! You _chose_ this path, didn't you? You could have done it all different, could you not? In fact…" He paused a moment. "You could have chosen to live with _me_ instead! But you didn't, did you? You chose _him_!"

She shook her head. Her voice was broken when she continued. "It's not as simple as that, Draco. Yes, I did make some choices. Stupid ones. But I never thought it would work out the way it did, though!" She was fighting against the tears that were once again pushing behind her eyelids.

"Then how _did_ you think it would work out?"

"I will tell you. I will tell you _everything_, if you want."

"No more lies?"

"No more lies. I promise."

He nodded. "Alright then, go ahead."

She took another deep breath and swallowed hard. She blinked away her tears. Then she started telling him. She was _pouring_ out her heart, and told him _everything_. About the first day she had sex with Voldemort, after he had tortured _him_, Draco. About his rejuvenation potion. About the day she found out about the horcruxes and told Voldemort about them, and how he had 'promised' her then he wouldn't touch her anymore.

Then about how she retrieved the Deathly Hallows after his 'death', and how she brought him back to life. What he did to her afterwards. How she thought Harry's sacrifice would stop him from trying to take over the world again, and about his 'scheme' to get around this. About his reaction after Summer School, how he had discovered what she had been up to there with Draco, and how he had wanted her to send him a message after that. How she had stopped him by telling him about the Hallows. How she had 'lost' the Hallows after that.

Then how she had been trying to save some lives by 'cooperating' with him sexually, etc. etc., all the way up until the last argument she had had with him after which he had thrown her out of the house.

They spent _hours_ at the restaurant. They had coffee, breakfast, more coffee, lunch, more coffee, until finally, she was done. "That's it," she said, feeling oddly relieved. "The whole story. So now you know it all!"

He shook his head. "Wow. Wow!"

They were quiet again for a moment.

"So now what?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll just have to do as I'm told. Get a job. Go back in two weeks. I don't see that I have a choice. Not anymore."

He grabbed her wrists. "Sally. You _do_ have a choice!"

"I do?" she asked, puzzled.

"Yes. You can _fight_ him, can't you?"

She laughed. "_Fight_ him? Are you _kidding_, Draco? How would I _possibly_ fight him?"

"Not by yourself." He stared at her.

She stared back at him. "You mean… you mean with the Order of the Phoenix?"

He nodded.

"Are you… are you with _them_ now, Draco?" Her eyes opened wide.

He shook his head. "No, I'm with nobody. It's just…" He grinned at her. "I would like you back. Only, not just for two weeks."

"You… you do?" she stammered.

He leaned over close to her. "I do, Sally, I do. More than anything!"

"But what about… I thought… you're with…"

"Astoria?" he said, with a smile. "She's a sweetheart. I _do_ like her. A lot, in fact."

Sally swallowed as she stared at him.

He leaned over more. "But she's not _you_, Sally. I would give her up for you. Heck, I would give up just about _anything_ for you! But I _would_ want to know I could have you forever! Not just… not just for a little while."

Sally's heart was beating so fast, she thought it would bounce out of her chest. "Draco," she whispered, as she reached out for him.

He held her hand. After a moment, he said, "Let's go. We're done, here, I think."

He paid the bill and they left.

Once they got to the place where Sally was staying, he turned to face her. "Sally," he whispered, as he held her shoulders.

She looked at him.

He laughed. "You don't mind me swearing, do you?"

She smiled at him. "No..."

He swallowed. "I love you," he whispered.

She gasped, and threw her arms around him. "Me, too!" she exclaimed. "I love you _too_, Draco!"

Then he kissed her. They stayed there for a _long_ time, and when he finally pulled back from her, he looked at her tenderly, as he stroked her hair.

"Sally," he whispered. "Sally, Sally, my silly little sweetheart." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I've got to go."

"Aren't you… aren't you coming in?" she whispered.

He shook his head, and laughed softly. "I can't. If I come in with you, I'll _never_ come back out!" He looked intently at her. "Sally. _I don't want you just for two weeks._ I want you for good! _Forever_!" He paused again. "I am not prepared to lose Astoria just for a little 'spell' with you. Come see me when you're serious about getting back with me. Until then, I'm going to have to go."

"But… but…" she stammered.

"Shhhh," he said, as he pressed a finger lightly to her mouth.

Then he touched her lips with his, turned on the spot, and was gone.

When Sally entered her room a few moments later, she turned on the radio. The same song she had heard in the restaurant was playing. She sat down and listened to it for a while, as she pondered over her situation. 'Cause with you, I'd withstand, all of hell to hold your hand,' she heard. And a little later, 'been far away for far too long…' Yes, she sure had been, she thought. For far, _far_ too long!

----------

The next day Sally apparated to #12 Grimmauld Place. She was able to apparate there because she had been there before, when they had captured her. The door was open, she strolled in, and walked straight into the kitchen to the surprise of several Order members that were gathered there for breakfast, including Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What do you want me to do," she said, addressing everybody, but Harry in particular…


	70. Revenge of the Muggles

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Jaddabeanx, thank you so much for your review!**

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It had been about a week and a half since Sally had walked into the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. She had been there every day so far, talking about a plan to defeat her father. She had told them all they needed to know, and some of it had been _very_ useful. A plan was starting to take shape.

Purley was now Sally's regular home, as it seemed to be a good hiding spot. It had been decided that she would _not_ return to the Riddle House after the two weeks, so she needed a place to remain hidden. Sally had not gone to see Draco yet. She had sent him a message by owl, so that he was aware, since she was pretty positive that Voldemort would look for her at the Manor when she failed to turn up after the two weeks.

The less contact she had with Draco now, the better it would be. It would actually be a lot safer for him to have a different girlfriend, no matter how much she hated that! They would have plenty of time together, once this was all over, she told herself.

She had found herself a little sad and melancholic, however, in her room in Purley, and decided to go for a walk. It was strange, to think about what she was going to do now. She had resigned herself to fighting against her father, and realized she would probably not see much of him ever again, nor would she talk to him anymore.

She understood that there was a high probability that he would die, although it wouldn't be entirely permanent since he still had his horcruxes, and nobody, not even she, knew where they were (aside from Nagini, of course). They were looking for a way to ensure that no one would bring him back again, and _some_ progress was made on that. They were on track, finally.

So she was walking on the outskirts of Purley, deep in thought, when she suddenly heard a voice behind her that made her freeze in her tracks.

"_There's one_! Look, he's wearing one of those cloaks, just like the _others_! The ones that have been terrorizing the country!"

"Let's get this one, let's teach them a lesson, these so-called wizards!"

"My uncle got killed because of those bastards. I'll get 'im!"

Shortly after, there was a loud bang, and Sally felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Another one hurt her leg, and made her fall to her knees. A third, and blood started pouring out of her arm. The last one hit her head, and made her crash flat on the floor. She glanced around her, and saw that she was lying in a puddle of blood. She heard footsteps coming towards her.

"Stop shooting, Jeremy, it looks like it's a girl!"

More footsteps. Her sight was getting blurry. She could just make out 7 or 8 faces looking down on her.

"Ahhh, blast, Jeremy… looks like she's a goner! She's bleeding to death! What did you do _that_ for?"

"I… I thought she was one of them! She's wearing that same cloaky thing as _they_ do!"

Someone was shaking his head. "Nothing we can do here. She's done for."

Sally realized with a shock that she was dying. She could feel herself slowly floating away. But she didn't _want_ to die! Not yet! She had to _do_ something! But what? She tried to move her fingers. She could still move her right hand a little. If only she could… if only she could reach her arm!

She tried to move her right hand to her left arm, which was completely motionless. She put every bit of effort she could muster into it, and she eventually managed to reach her left hand. She tried to pull up her sleeve, but she was rapidly losing her strength. She couldn't do it.

She was lost now. She would die, right here, right now, in Purley. She would never, ever, see Draco again! That realization hit her like a ton of bricks. A white mist had started to surround her, and she felt inclined to resign herself to her fate. She swallowed hard.

But then defiance started stirring up inside her. She couldn't just give up like that! She couldn't! She had to keep trying! With all her might, she forced her hand to start creeping up her arm, slowly. But her sleeve was in the way and she didn't have the strength to move it. Deep down, she knew she wasn't going to make it, no matter how hard she tried. But she would give it all she had, regardless.

"What is she doing?"

"Looks like she's trying to pull up her sleeve."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know."

"What have you got on your arm, sweetheart?" said one of them, as he kneeled beside her. He pulled up her sleeve.

"She has some sort of tattoo. Look, here!"

Sally's arm was bare now. She was still moving her hand. It was a little easier, now that the sleeve was no longer in the way, but she still didn't think she'd make it. She had absolutely no strength left.

"It says something. What does it say?"

Someone else kneeled beside her. "Awww, it says 'DAD'! Isn't that sweet? Do you miss your daddy, sweetie? Is _that_ where you wanted to go? Here you go!"

And with that, he grabbed her hand and moved it towards her mark. Sally touched it, and it glowed red. She closed her eyes.

"Wow, look at that! It looks like it's burning!" she heard faintly.

But it was too far away. She was falling… falling into nothingness. She tried to open her eyes again, but could see nothing but a bright white mist surrounding her. They were still talking, but she could no longer understand what they were saying. It sounded like mumbling. She struggled to keep her eyes open, she knew that if she let herself go, she would be gone.

She was fighting to keep them open, but it was getting harder and harder. Her eyelids were heavy… so heavy… they wanted to close. And she could no longer stop them. Slowly, they were closing. Then the white mist turned green. And the last thing she saw, before her eyes finally closed, was a glimpse of her father's face, contorted into a grimace, a hint of fear in his eyes.


	71. The Breath of Life

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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When Sally opened her eyes again, she still only saw white. She tried to turn her head, and a few items came back into view. She realized she had been looking at the ceiling of a room. _Her_ room. Or rather, her father's room.

"You're back," she heard a weary voice next to her say.

It was _him._

"Try to sit up. You need to drink this, urgently."

She turned her head a little further, until she saw him. His face was bright-white and gaunt, his hair slack, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked worn. No, that was an understatement. He looked terrible, almost like he was at death's door himself!

One of his arms was tied to hers, and in the other he held a goblet. Sally tried to sit up a little. It took an enormous effort, but she managed it somewhat. She was leaning on her elbow. Then she finally noticed the blood. It was everywhere! The bed was covered in it, her clothes were drenched in it, and so were his. There were drops of it running in a trail from the bed to the door.

She tried to take the goblet, but her other arm would not move. So he held it at her lips and slowly poured it into her mouth. She recognized it as a blood-replenishing potion, and she started to feel better immediately.

"Good girl," he said, as he smiled a little.

She drained the goblet. She stared at him, before she sank back into her pillow. Was it her imagination, or did _he_ start to look better as well? And why did he look so bad in the first place? She heard him mutter something, and the bounds around their arms dissolved. Her healer-training told her he had used a transfusium spell on her, something that may be used if a patient who suffered great blood loss, is unable to drink a blood-replenishing potion (usually because they're unconscious).

She wondered how long she had been there. Judging by the freshness of the blood around her, not very long. She felt strength coming back in her arm, and she was able to lift it to her head. She knew she had been shot in her head, and she felt the place that was still sore. But there was nothing there, her head seemed to have healed. All she felt was the stickiness of her hair, which was also covered in blood. She inspected her arm. Aside from a tremendous amount of blood, there was no evidence of a wound there either.

He must have healed her, she thought. She looked sideways, and saw him rubbing his eyes. Then he stood up. He definitely looked a lot better now, she thought. Or had she just imagined him looking bad? He stroked her forehead for a second. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Yes," he shouted at the door.

"My Lord," a voice said. "The healer is here."

"Let him in."

The door opened and Sally saw another familiar face: Healer McFallow.

Voldemort stared at him for a moment. "Go check her out. Make sure she is okay." Then he turned to Sally. "I will see you later." And he left.

Healer McFallow walked up to Sally's bed. "Sally," he said, with surprise in his voice. "What happened to you?"

Sally made an attempt to smile. "I was shot by a Muggle," she replied softly.

"There's a lot of blood. Where were you hit?"

"In my shoulder, my arm, my leg and my head."

Healer McFallow investigated all the areas she indicated. "Wow!"

"What is it?" said Sally with a frown, a little concerned at his exclamation.

"Nothing, really. It's just that… it's all gone! Whoever fixed you up, sure did a great job."

Sally smiled. Who'd have thought that the 'evil wizard' would actually be capable of _healing, _too?

"It looks like you lost a lot of blood, though. Did you take a replenishing potion?"

Sally indicated the goblet on her nightstand. The healer picked it up and smelled it. He pulled a face, then he performed a spell on the few drops that were left in it.

"Who made this potion?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"It's good. Very good, in fact. I don't often see replenishing potions of this quality. I'm surprised you were able to drink it, though, I would have thought, with this much blood loss, that you'd be unconscious."

"I _was_. I had a transfusium spell performed on me first."

He looked concerned.

"It's okay, the blood types will have matched."

"You _do_ know that if they don't, there will be some serious consequences?"

"Yes, I know, but it was my _father_, who performed it."

The healer looked relieved. He checked her out further, performing some diagnostic spells. Then he shook his head. "There's not much for me to do here. Everything seems to be done already! I would give you one of my own replenishing potions, but the one you have here is at least as good. Keep drinking that. One more today, and three tomorrow. Then maybe one more the day after. Other than that, all you need is a good wash, some clean clothes and clean sheets, a few days rest, and you'll be fine."

He looked at her for a moment. "Will you be coming back to the office, soon, Sally? Once you're fully recovered, that is?"

She smiled at him. "I'm not sure. I don't know if healing is really what I want to do with my life."

He smiled back. "Well, for now, just concentrate on getting better. You can make a decision on that later. But you're very welcome to come back, should you decide that that's what you want!"

"Thank you, Healer McFallow."

"You're welcome," he said, as he left the room.

The next person to enter the room was Wolny. "Mistress, Mistress! Mistress getting better! Wolny so worried, Mistress! So worried! Wolny thought Mistress not… not…" her face was getting dark. "Wolny thought Mistress not survive! Wolny thought Mistress and Master both dying!"

Sally shook her head while frowning, trying to comprehend what Wolny was saying. "What are you talking about, Wolny? Are you saying you thought your _master_ was dying _too_?"

Wolny's eyes opened wide. "Oh yes! Wolny thought Mistress already dead, when Master brought Mistress here. And Master follow soon!"

"He looked like he was going to _die_?"

Wolny nodded vigorously.

Sally was puzzled. Then what happened to _him_? Why had _he_ almost been dying?

"Wolny needs to clean up," the elf said. "Mistress needs to wash."

Sally looked at herself. The blood was getting darker, and she was feeling sticky. Yes, she sure could do with a shower. Wolny helped her get out of bed and to the bathroom. She undressed with the door open, just in case. She still felt a little weak. The shower was refreshing, but also exhausting, and when she was done, she really wanted nothing more than to get back into the bed. She was happy to find that by the time she left the bathroom, the bed sheets had been changed and the floor cleaned. Her bloody clothes were gone, and a fresh clean nightgown was lying out on the bed for her. Wolny was gone. Sally put the nightgown on and got back into bed.

A little while later there was another knock on the door. "Who is it?" Sally asked.

The door opened just a bit. "My lady, it's Christopher Strayheart. May I come in?"

Sally raised her eyebrows. What did _he_ want from her? "Er, I guess."

The young man came in and gave her a smile. "The Dark Lord asked me to stay with you until he returns. He wants to make sure you're alright."

"Oh, okay."

He pulled up a chair next to the bed.

She rolled on her side to face him. "Strayheart. Or Christopher, what should I call you?"

He smiled again. "You may call me Chris, my Lady."

"Alright, fine. But then call _me_ Sally, will you? None of that 'my Lady' stuff."

He frowned. "Your father insists, my Lady!"

"Well, then just call me that when he's around. And if he's not, call me Sally."

His smile was back. "Alright then, _Sally_."

She returned his smile. "Chris, could you… could you tell me what happened? How long have I been here?"

"Not long. Half an hour at the most."

"How did I get here?"

"Well, we were in the middle of a meeting downstairs in the living room, everyone was sitting at the big table. Then suddenly, the Dark Lord… well, he just kind of… got up and left."

"Got up and left?"

"Yes. Halfway through a sentence, he got up. Didn't say a word to anybody, just left. We watched him from the window, saw him come out of the house, stride to the apparition point and disappear. Then about five minutes later, he came back, with you in his arms! We all thought you were dead! You certainly _looked_ it. And there was blood everywhere! He didn't look too good himself. Seemed to be struggling to bring you in the house. He called for Slater, to take you from him, and bring you upstairs, and Slater did. He shouted at the house elf to bring up some blood-replenishing potion from the storage cabinet, and then he kind of… struggled to get up the stairs. I tried to help him, but he didn't want any help. Once upstairs we were surprised that he slit open his arm to do a transfusion spell on you. He certainly didn't look like he could afford to lose any blood himself! Slater offered to do it instead, but he wouldn't let him. Then he told everyone to get out, and call Healer McFallow."

He paused a moment.

"Healer McFallow came in ten minutes later, and we all thought you were likely to both be dead by that time. But your father came out, seemingly a whole lot better! He took a shower and changed his robes in one of the other bedrooms, then went back down to the living room. There, he sent everyone out. He still looked ill, but nowhere near as bad as before. He told me to keep an eye on you until he'd be back upstairs, said he needed a rest first."

He stared at her. "And that's it, really. So what happened to you then? Where were you?"

She told him what had happened to her.

"Damn Muggles!" he said, looking angry. "It's about time they learn their place!"

"They were upset because wizards have been attacking them. The guy who shot me said they'd killed his uncle. You can't _really_ blame them for being angry!"

Chris gave her a funny look, but didn't say anything.

"Anyway," Sally said. "I'm exhausted."

"Then go to sleep. You look like you could use it!"

And so she did. She slept until she felt someone shake her arm.

"Mistress," she heard Wolny call to her. "Mistress, wake up!"

In a daze, she sat up. "What… what is it, Wolny?"

"Your potion, Mistress. Mistress needs to take more!" And she held out a goblet for Sally.

Sally took the goblet and drained it. She didn't realize how cold she had been, until she felt the potion warm her up. She instantly felt better.

"Thank you, Wolny," she said to the elf, as she handed her the empty goblet.

"Mistress is too kind," she said as she bowed her way out of the room.

Once she was gone, Sally looked around. Chris was gone. It was dark outside now, it must be several hours later, she thought. She looked beside her and saw _him_ sleeping next to her.

_Him_… her _father_, she thought. She had a feeling she knew what he had done. Something she had read about, in one of her healing books. She shook her head. 'No,' she thought. No, he couldn't have done that. Could he? It would have been illegal, and exceptionally dangerous! She stared at him for a bit. She yawned. She was still tired. She decided to ask him in the morning, as she fell asleep again.

----------

The next morning, however, she woke up so late, that he had already left. She wasn't exactly happy about that, but decided she wouldn't go looking for him. She was pretty sure he'd come and talk to her at some point. There was another Goblet with potion standing on the table next to her bed, so she picked it up and drank it, and lay back down. She didn't feel like doing much. She was supposed to rest, anyway, so she decided to take it easy.

A little while later there was a knock on the door, and Wolny came back in. "Wolny just wanted to make sure Mistress took her potion. Wolny did not want to wake Mistress earlier, since Mistress needed to sleep. But Mistress _must_ drink her potion now!"

"I did," Sally replied, and handed her the empty goblet. Wolny took it.

"Master said he wanted to speak to Mistress, when Mistress awoke."

"Fine. He can come in."

Wolny disappeared, and moments later Voldemort entered. "So. Finally awake?"

She smiled at him. "I was tired. Had a bit of an… eventful day, yesterday, you see."

"I did notice," he said, as he gave her a strict look. "Now, tell me. What happened?"

She told him the story. He didn't say anything, but stared out of the window, an angry look on his face.

"Father?" she began, carefully.

He turned his gaze back to her.

"Did you… you didn't… you didn't do the 'Breath of Life', on me, did you?"

He grinned. From his reaction, she knew immediately that he _had_.

"I guess your healer training is paying off," he remarked.

"But… but you weren't supposed to! The spell has been banned, it's illegal! And it's extremely dangerous!"

He stared at her, as he folded his arms. "You would have _died_, Sally, had I not used it. Would you have preferred that?"

Sally stared back at him, a shocked expression on her face.

"Anyway, you're supposed to rest. I suggest you go back to sleep."

He started towards the door, but before he got there, Sally called him again, "Father?"

He turned, with his hand on the doorknob.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He gave her a small smile, and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Sally jumped out of bed, walked over to the book case that contained all her healer books, and picked out one of them. She took it back to bed with her, and looked up, 'The Breath of Life'.

* * *

The Breath of Life

The Breath of Life spell was used a long time ago on people who were very near death. It is meant to give the dying person extra time, so they could have a chance to get healed. The caster, or 'giver', who would perform the spell, would connect his/her own life force to that of the dying person (the 'receiver'), thereby prolonging their life. Unfortunately, since the giver's life force would then be tied to the dying body, most of the time it would succumb to the same ailment that caused the receiver to be dying in the first place, thereby killing the giver as well as the receiver. Success would be attained if the receiver's body could be healed while the giver's life force hadn't yet succumbed. Unfortunately, the spell has an exceptionally low success rate, and is therefore no longer taught. It has been banned since 1673, after hundreds of people had died, thinking they could save their loved ones that way. In addition, even in the case of success, the spell has an undesirable and often unacceptable side effect for both the giver _and_ the receiver.

* * *

Side effect? _What_ side effect, thought Sally, as she quickly turned the page. And there it was…

* * *

Side Effect of the Breath of Life

In the rare case that the Breath of Life is successful, the giver's life force will be irrevocably tied to the receiver's life force. Therefore, death of either of them will automatically result in death of the other.

* * *

Sally stared at the page, with wide open eyes. She seemed unable to tear her eyes away from it. This meant that _her_ life was now irrevocably tied to Voldemort's! Therefore, if _he_ was to die, _she_, _Sally_, would die too!


	72. Recovering

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: Finally, we're able to post chapters again! The site wouldn't let us for a while. Sorry about that!**

**Dilated Pupil, thank you so much for your review. I am happy you're enjoying the story more now!**

**We are getting closer to the end. I have 80 chapters at the moment, so 8 more after this one. We are 90% of the way there!**

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Sally had put the book away and gone back to bed. What did all this mean? If the Order of the Phoenix were to go ahead with the plan, and Voldemort was killed, she would die too, right? But where did his horcruxes come into it, and how did they relate to someone's life force? Was there a difference between a soul and a life force? And if there was, what _was_ the difference?

She thought about this until her head was spinning. She was confused, and worried. And she felt guilty, too! There she was, planning his downfall, but when she got in trouble, he had come to her aid, risking his own life in the process! She groaned and lay back into her pillows. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

----------

That evening, Voldemort came back to his room finding Sally lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. "Feeling better?" he began.

Sally nodded.

He walked over to her and stared at her for a moment. "I guess you have one more day until you will be completely well," he stated.

Sally sat up. "Yes, that's what Healer McFallow said. Why, father?"

"Because I need to do something with you. But I should probably wait until you are fully recovered."

She frowned. "What do you need to do?" she said with concern.

He grinned. "Nothing, do not worry about it." He sat down on the bed next to her.

She stared at him. Now she really _was_ worried!

He started stroking her hair. "I am sure you are well enough for a little entertainment, though. Did you miss me?"

Sally gulped. "Yes, father," she lied. "Did you… did you miss _me_?"

He laughed softly as he stared at the wall. "Hmm."

She frowned. "You… you didn't?" she asked incredulously.

He glanced at her, grinning broadly now. "I did not miss your tantrums. And sex with women who are… _disposable_, does have some advantages."

She shook her head, as if trying to clear her ears. Was she hearing that right? She looked at him with horror on her face. Was he… joking? She sure hoped he was!

He laughed again when he saw the expression on her face. "But do not worry, Sally, I still want you. Just… if I appear to be getting a little too violent, make sure to let me know it is _you_, okay?"

Sally shrieked, as he leaned over and lay on top of her. Her eyes were filled with fear as he started kissing her.

As it was, though, it turned out to be alright. Sex with him was very much like it was before he had thrown her out of the house, and certainly not unpleasant.

Immediately after, he got up and dressed.

"Where are you going, father?" Sally inquired.

"I have work to do. I am quite busy, I just took a little time out for you. I will be back later. Get some more rest, you will need it for tomorrow."

And with that ominous statement, he left.

----------

She didn't see him again the rest of the evening. She actually left the room for a bit and wandered around the house. She went into the kitchen for some coffee and food, and spotted Strayheart and some other person sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey Chris," she said, as she pulled up a chair.

"Sally," Strayheart said, as he acknowledged her with a grin.

The other guy looked at him with shock on his face. He got up quickly, almost knocking over his chair, bent over and said, "Good evening, my Lady!"

"Hey," Sally said simply. Then she turned back to Strayheart. "Anything interesting going on?"

He continued grinning at her. "Just teaching some Muggles a lesson, that's all."

She stared at him. "Er… what do you mean?"

He bent over low towards her. "Remember that Muggle town, where you were found? Purley, I think it was called?"

"Yes?" she said, apprehensively, noting with concern his use of the past tense.

He laughed. "Well, it's gone."

"It… it… _what_?" she said, blinking.

"It's gone. We got rid of it."

"You… got… _rid_ of it?" she asked, her voice unnaturally high, as she was swallowing hard.

"Yes. That'll teach those Muggles not to fool around with us, won't it? Should've known better than to attack a witch, should they?"

Sally stared at him in disbelief. She wanted to ask him exactly what they did, and what he meant, when he said that it was 'gone'. She wanted to tell him that what happened to her wasn't the fault of the people living in Purley. She wanted to say that what they had done was an _outrageous_ and _vile_ act!

But then she realized that she really didn't want to know the answers to her questions, and that nothing she would say to them would make any difference now anyway. So she left her food and went back upstairs. She was no longer hungry.

----------

She fell asleep that night before Voldemort came back to their room. He let her sleep. When she woke up the next morning, she found him standing over her, staring at her, a goblet in his hand.

"Here, your last one," he said. "Then you are officially recovered."

She drank it, and he took the empty goblet back from her. She stared at him, not liking the look on his face. He had something planned for her, she figured, and she had a feeling it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Now that you are all better, Sally," he said, twirling his wand in his hands. "I would like you to get up."

Sally reluctantly got up.

He pointed his wand at her, muttering an incantation. Next, she was standing across from herself, looking at her own image. She saw that her eyes were narrowed, and that she smiled faintly in an almost wicked manner which was a highly unusual look for her. Then her image's hand came out and grabbed the wand she appeared to be holding off of her. She felt disorientated. Did they switch bodies again, like they did a while ago?

Her image started to talk. It felt weird, hearing herself talk when it wasn't _her_ doing the actual talking!

"Okay, Sally?" the image said.

She nodded. "Just… just a little confused. Why…"

But she didn't get any further, as her image had cast another spell. A sharp pain shot through her body, making her gasp for air. Her image had locked eyes with her and was staring intently at her, as if it was searching for some kind of reaction. Sally wondered what the heck was going on. She figured that it must be Voldemort who had taken control of her body, but she didn't understand why, and was fearful of what he was doing now. Her image then muttered another spell.

It was the same spell he had cast on her during their first meeting at Malfoy Manor. She was suffocating. Her hands flew to her neck. She was desperately trying to draw a breath, but she couldn't. She looked at her image pleadingly, unable to talk, but hoping he'd take off the spell. He didn't, and just stood there, watching her, his face (or really, hers) void of expression. She started seeing stars and finally fell to the ground, while he continued to stare down at her, his hands behind his back.

Just as she started to feel herself slip into unconsciousness, she suddenly could breathe again, and gasped. Tears were filling her eyes and she broke into a coughing fit.

He was still standing over her, frowning now. "Please," he said in _her_ voice. "Control yourself, Sally. Tears don't suit me. Get up!"

She sat coughing for a little while, and wiped away her tears. Then she got up.

"You could have given me a hand," Sally said, then gasped, as she found herself speaking in _his_ voice.

"I am not helping you up when you look like me," he said, as he pointed his wand towards her. "_I_ don't need help."

She gave him a snide look. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was back in her own body. Before she realized what had happened, he had snatched his wand off of her again.

"Good," he said. "That was promising. Feeling better?"

Sally felt a lot better, since the body she was now in, wasn't the one that had been assaulted. So she nodded.

He pointed his wand at her again, and once again, she felt her throat closing up. Her eyes opened wide. What was he doing, why did he keep putting her through this? She went through the same thing again, as he watched her with interest. When she fell to the ground, though, she saw his face contort into a grimace, and he took the spell off immediately.

As she was sitting on the ground, trying to get her breath back, she heard him swear. Next, she heard his footsteps going towards the door. It opened, then slammed shut again. He had left.

----------

In the mean time, at #12 Grimmauld Place, Sally was missed. When she hadn't appeared the day after the incident, people had started to get a little concerned, a sentiment that had increased significantly once the Daily Prophet arrived with some shocking news about her place of residence.

Apparently there had been an attack on the town of Purley. It was suspected that giants and dementors had been involved. In any case, not a soul was left alive in the small town, and many buildings had been destroyed. It was a _major_ disaster; Purley had effectively been wiped off the face of the earth!

Everybody was silent that morning after Hermione had read the article to the other Order members. There was no doubt in anybody's mind that this had something to do with Sally, and they feared for her life.

"Do you think he figured out what she was up to?" said Harry, his face white as a sheet.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know." Her voice was trembling. "But I can't imagine he would kill his own daughter!"

Harry shook his head. "It makes no sense anyway. Even if he _had_ found out about our plans, and would have wanted to kill her, why would he destroy the whole town? What would be the point of that?"

There was more silence.

"It's hard to understand the mind of a madman," said Hermione finally.

"So now what?" said Ron.

"It doesn't stop us from going ahead with the plan," said Harry.

"I suppose not," said Hermione. "We can do this with or without her, now. Although it would be much easier _with_ her!"

"But we're not ready," said Ron.

"No," said Hermione. "We still have to wait until we have figured out exactly how to catch his life force after he's been 'killed'."

"Right," said Harry. "We have to be careful. We can't take any more risks then necessary. We will do it only when the time is right, when we're absolutely certain we can do this. We can't let this new situation entice us into acting hastily!"

Everyone seemed to agree with that.


	73. Elucidation

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was lying down on her bed, trying to make sense out of everything that was happening. The second time Voldemort had tried to put her at death's door, it seemed it had affected him too. She was inclined to think that that was because of the Breath of Life. And he clearly wasn't happy about that!

Was he trying to find a way to get out of the spell's clutches? It certainly seemed that way! He was experimenting with her, and it didn't seem to be going very well. She _did_ hope he wasn't going to do too many of those experiments, since they were far from comfortable.

Anyway, she had to try and continue on with her life, now that she was completely recovered. She needed to make contact with Draco, and the Order, as soon as possible, since she was pretty positive they'd be concerned by now.

She hopped off the bed. Yes, that's what she would do. She'd go and see them right now!

When she reached the door, she spotted Strayheart and the other guy in the hallway.

"Hey, Sally," Strayheart said. "Going anywhere?"

"Hey Chris. Yes, I thought I'd go out for a bit. Stop in at the Leaky Cauldron or so." She smiled. "Have to do _something_, right?"

He smiled back at her. "Sure. But we'll have to come with you."

Sally looked shocked. "What? Why do you have to come with me?"

"Special orders. Apparently he wants to make extra sure you'll be safe. We're going to have to come with you wherever you go, from now on!"

Sally stared at him. Now what! She had to have an escort wherever she went? That would really mess up her plans! Why the heck… But then she suddenly understood. The Breath of Life! If _she_ was to die, _he_ would die too! So of course he wanted to make double sure that she wouldn't!

But how was she to contact Draco and the Order now, with two Death Eaters on her tail?

"Alright then," she said, trying not to sound too upset. She would still go. Maybe she would run into someone she knew, who'd be able to pass a message along.

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Sally went to the Leaky Cauldron, but didn't see anyone there that she felt she could confide in. So then she went on to Diagon Alley. However, there also, was no one she knew.

She walked past Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She debated for a moment if she should go in, but decided not to. Too suspicious. But by now she was really starting to get desperate!

Then she got to a lingerie-store, and decided to enter. At least she was pretty sure they wouldn't follow her in there.

"I have to get some stuff in here," she said to Chris. "I don't suppose you'll be coming in?"

"Hmm," he said with a grin. "That depends! Will you be trying some of it on?"

She gave him a reprimanding look. "I don't think he'd be happy to hear you've been watching me as well as _that_!"

He stopped smiling. "I guess not. Oh well… you better go alone then. We'll wait outside!"

Sally went inside. At least she had a bit of privacy. She looked around the store to see if there was anyone else in there. 'Yes!' She thought. Luna! Luna Lovegood! She would do nicely!

"Luna," said Sally. "How are you?"

Luna turned around in surprise. "Sally! What are you doing here? I've heard so much about you! What's going on?" Then her face turned a little darker. "Are you on the other side now, Sally?"

"No, I'm not. But I'm being watched. I have a message that I need to get to Harry, Ron or Hermione, urgently! Is there any way you could let one of them know that I'm back at the Riddle House, that I'm okay but not allowed out alone anymore?"

Luna stared at her. "I… I guess," she said softly.

"Thank you so much, Luna. You're a life saver! Tell them… tell them the secret is still safe, okay?"

Sally turned her back on Luna, and was about to walk out of the store, when she decided she probably should buy something so as not to arouse suspicion. So she quickly picked up a soft pink satin nightie, paid, and left.

They walked around for just a little bit longer, then went back home.

----------

A little while later Sally was sitting on her bed. She'd just had dinner, and was thinking about what to do next. She decided she needed to find out exactly what her father had been doing to her that morning, and she thought the best way to do that was probably just to ask him.

But she'd better find out if he was in a good mood first! She knew him well enough now to know that if he was in a bad mood, there'd be nothing that she could do to change that. He was impossible to manipulate, and any attempt to do so would likely be met with rejection and anger. She would not risk it. She would just have to make sure to judge his behavior accurately when he came to his room tonight.

She was reading a book and stroking Feruca when he came in later that night. "Did you enjoy your shopping trip?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Would have been better without the escort."

He scowled, as he came over to her and sat on the bed facing her. "Get used to it. They will be with you from now on."

She glanced at him, looking unhappy. "Yes, father," she acquiesced.

"Do not even _think_ of going anywhere without them," he said, suspiciously.

"I won't. But can you at least explain what this is all about? I assume it has something to do with the Breath of Life?"

He gave her a penetrating stare. His eyes were studying her face as if he was looking for something. Then finally, he said, "Yes. Our life forces are connected now, so if _you_ die, _I_ die. Therefore, I have to make sure you do not."

"But what about your horcruxes? They would stop you from dying, wouldn't they?"

He narrowed his eyes, and didn't speak for a moment, as if he was debating what to tell her. Then, with a sigh, he began, "There is a difference between a life force and a soul. Your soul represents your being, the person you are, yourself, your _character_. A life force represents your life, your existence, the fact that you are alive. There is a one-to-one relationship between a life force and a soul. A life force is associated with one and only one soul, and a soul is associated with one and only one life force, although each can exist without the other. A ghost, for example, is a soul without a life force, or a body for that matter. On the other hand, a dementor can suck out somebody's soul and destroy it, but not destroy their life force. That person will then still be alive, with its life force and body intact, but they will no longer be themselves. They will be soul-less."

He paused for a moment. "A life force is connected to a container, usually the body it lives in. A life force without such a material connection will perish. When a body is killed, its life force loses its connection with the body. It will then perish unless there is another material connection, as there would be with a horcrux. When a life force is gone, the soul it associates with, is released, but not usually destroyed. A horcrux contains a piece of your soul attached to an object, forming a link between the object and your life force. When the body dies, there is still a connection of the life force to an object and therefore the life force will remain."

He looked at her intently now, before he started speaking again. "However, when _two life forces_ are connected, and one of them dies, the other will die too, no matter _what_ material connection that other life force has! Those material connections are then used to access the soul in the container or containers – usually the body - and release it.

"So if someone was to kill my body, my life force survives since it has connections to containers other then my body. My life force survives, therefore _you_ survive. But the other way around, if someone kills your body, your life force perishes since it has no other material connections. But it is connected to _my_ life force, therefore it will destroy my life force too, and each part of my soul, no matter where it is located, is released from its container. I will be dead, and my horcruxes will no longer be horcruxes."

Sally stared at him, her eyes opened wide, as she let that wealth of information sink in. "Is… is there no way to remove the connection between the life forces then?" she stammered, finally.

He grinned sourly. "That's what I've been working on. I was experimenting with that this morning, trying to disconnect the two, but I was unsuccessful. There is a spell that switches life forces between containers. I have used it on you before, a while ago. I used it this morning too, to see if the connection between the life forces would switch too, or if it would stay behind in your body. Apparently, the connection stayed behind. Once we switched bodies, we were no longer connected. I was hoping that the connection would attach itself back to the life force it belonged to, mine, while I resided inside your body, and that it would come back to my body after I switched us back. Unfortunately, it didn't. It seems to be stuck to your body."

Sally looked shocked, and was at a loss for words for a moment. He was no longer immortal, thanks to her! He could properly die now… if _she_ died, Horcruxes or not! This was a _major_ setback for him. She was actually starting to feel a little guilty, now.

After an agonizing period of silence, Sally said, "I… I am sorry, father." He didn't respond, just glared at her. She gulped. "But... but then why did you save me, if you knew this?"

"I had not thought about it beforehand, as I did not expect this ever to be an issue. And when the situation arose, I did not have time to think about the consequences. I guess I was a little… impulsive."

Sally stared downwards, unable to look him in the eyes.

He laughed softly, took her chin and lifted it up to him. She wouldn't look at him.

"Look at me, Sally."

Reluctantly, she complied.

"You seriously owe me for this. So I am going to need you to do a few things for me."

He paused, and she waited patiently for him to continue.

"First of all, you need to make sure you stay alive. At any cost. Do you understand that?"

She nodded.

"Furthermore, you are not to tell anybody, _ever_. I do not need any of my enemies finding out that I am vulnerable through you. Understand?"

She nodded again.

"And last…" He grinned now, "I need you to convince me you are worth the sacrifice I made."

She swallowed hard and nodded once again.

"And that entails, amongst other things, no more tantrums." He glared at her intently. "I need perfect obedience, Sally. And respect!"

"Yes, father," she whispered softly. 'Amongst other things', she thought to herself, and wondered what he meant with _that_.

She wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

He let go of her chin and got up. "Alright, Sally. Let's see how obedient you can be. Why don't you get ready for me? I was told you bought something new today that I might enjoy. In the mean time… I will go and get something we can _both_ enjoy." He gave her a lecherous grin and left the room.

Sally was starting to wonder what was going to happen, and if maybe she would have been better off dying, back there on that field in Purley…


	74. Repercussions

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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About twenty minutes after he left, Voldemort was back. There was a girl with him. She looked to be just a few years older than Sally herself. She was very pretty, with tan skin and long, wavy black hair, and she looked somewhat confused when she spotted Sally.

"Tom?" she said, turning around to him. "There's… there's someone here!"

"Yes," he said, unperturbed. "That is Sally. Sally, meet Misha."

Sally stared at the girl, and the girl stared at her.

"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!" said Misha, with an offended look on her face.

He laughed softly. "Sally, come over here," he commanded, as he reassuringly put an arm around the girl called Misha. He whispered something in her ear and made her giggle nervously.

Sally got up and walked over to them.

"Look at her," he said to Misha. "Isn't she pretty?"

Misha looked Sally up and down. "I… I guess," she stammered.

"She tastes good too," Voldemort said as he glanced at Sally, and then returned his attention to Misha. He encircled her body with his arms, and moved his mouth close to her ear. He gently nibbled her earlobe, causing her to giggle again. "Would you like to try?" he said softly, as he let go of one of his arms and gently pushed her towards Sally with the other.

The two girls stared at each other. 'Gross,' thought Sally, as she realized what was expected of her.

"Go ahead, Sally, give her a kiss!" he chuckled.

Sally swallowed hard and gave him a quick glance. She knew she had no option. And rather than to suffer his wrath by refusing to follow his orders, she thought it best to oblige, no matter how shocked and disgusted she was at the prospect. So she took a step forward until she was face to face with the girl and moved her head towards her. The girl licked her lips nervously. Sally carefully put her hand on Misha's shoulder and pulled towards her. She pressed her lips lightly on hers.

Then she pulled back and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Misha."

Misha let out a sigh of relief, and smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, Sally!"

Voldemort smiled too. "Alright girls, now that the niceties are out of the way, let us get a little more comfortable. Get on the bed, you two."

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*** There will be a lot of sex and violence in the next scene, including incest and some female slash. *******  
*** Skip it if you prefer. ********************************************************************  
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Sally was used to him ordering her around, but judging by the look on Misha's face, _she_ wasn't. So Sally smiled at her, took her hand, and said softly, "Come, it's okay." And she led her to the bed where they lay down.

Misha looked nervously up at Voldemort, who gave her an encouraging smile. That seemed to help, as she became a lot more forward. She started stroking Sally's face and arms, and said, "He's right, you really _are_ pretty!" Then she leaned over and kissed Sally full on her mouth.

Sally responded, because she wanted to make Misha feel comfortable, but she was far from enjoying it. She wasn't attracted to girls at all, so she pretended, while Misha moved her hands all over Sally's body. Sally shivered, which Misha mistakenly seemed to interpret as excitement.

Misha pulled back from her and smiled. "I feel a little overdressed," she said, as she looked at Sally who was wearing nothing more than this thin pink nightie and some undies. She cast a quick glance at Voldemort, as if she still wasn't sure if he was okay with all this, as he seemed to be doing nothing more than watch.

"Yes, you do seem to be," he said, grinning. "So let me help you with that."

Misha looked excited at the prospect, since obviously, she was here because of him. But Voldemort just waved his wand and her clothes disappeared.

She looked at herself in shock. "Wha… where… what happened? Where are my clothes? How did you…" She stared at Voldemort, who had put away his wand and continued grinning at her.

Sally glanced at him. A _Muggle_, she thought. He'd brought home a Muggle! She shook her head worriedly. But he hated Muggles! She was starting to get apprehensive. Was this _really_ just for fun, or was there more to it? She hated to think... She took a deep breath and decided she'd better keep him happy.

"Don't worry about it," she said soothingly, as she started stroking Misha's back. "It's better like this, isn't it?"

Misha seemed to relax a bit more. "I… I guess," she said, as she turned towards Sally again.

Misha and Sally spend a little time stroking, kissing and cuddling, when Misha suddenly froze. Sally quickly pushed her away. She had clearly been stunned.

Voldemort went to sit next to Sally on the bed. "Are you having fun, Sally?"

"No," she replied.

He laughed. "I didn't think so." He put a hand on the back of her head, pushed her towards him and kissed her. Then he pulled back from her. "Is _that_ better?"

She looked at him and nodded. He grinned as he gave her a piercing look. Then he roughly pushed her down on the bed, practically jumped on top of her, grabbed her and kissed her hard. His hands were all over her, on her breasts, inside her undies. He moved down to her neck and ripped off her nightie. She gasped.

"I… I just bought that!" she protested.

"Fix it later," he said, as he ripped off her undies too.

He made her gasp again as he started moving his hand around between her legs. He tangled his other hand into her hair and pulled it, exposing more of her neck.

"Ow!" she complained.

He chuckled as he was nibbling her neck. Then he moved down to her breasts, and bit her nipples, eliciting more complaints. He grabbed his wand and removed his clothes with it. Finally, he lay back down on top of her, his face right above hers. He chuckled.

"Sally," he said, as he stared at her intensely. "I _do_ so love to play around with you!"

Sally returned his stare, but didn't reply.

He indicated the body next to them. "Should I wake her up?"

She shook her head vigorously, which made him laugh. "Sally, Sally! You want to keep me to yourself?" He laughed some more. "But you must learn to share, Sally! One of the things parents have to teach their children is how to share, is it not?"

Sally looked at the unconscious girl next to her and swallowed. She really didn't want her to wake up, but she could already hear him utter the word, "Ennervate!"

The girl woke up. She looked highly confused. "Did… did I miss something?" she said, staring at them.

"Nothing at all," said Voldemort, as he cast a spell on her.

She looked even more confused. "What… what did you just do?"

"Nothing you won't enjoy," he said, as he rolled off of Sally and pulled Misha closer to them. He stroked her hair for a moment as he looked at her face. Sally could see her brightening up. She was really looking forward to being with him, Sally thought. Then he pulled her hair.

"Ow," Misha yelled, just as Sally had done previously. He laughed and bit her neck softly, still holding her hair. She started to moan.

Voldemort now seized some of Sally's hair, and bundled it together with Misha's.

"Beautiful," he said. "A mixture of light and dark…"

Misha pulled closer to him, moved her hands over his chest and started kissing him there.

He pushed her away, roughly. "Don't touch me," he yelled. "Not unless I tell you to!"

Shocked, she cowered away from him. Sally started feeling sorry for her. Then he leaned over Misha and pushed one of her shoulders into the bed. She stared at him, with fear and desire evident in her eyes. He started kissing one of her nipples, and she once again started moaning in pleasure. Then he bit. Hard. Misha screamed. Sally looked at him in shock, as she saw he'd drawn blood. He chuckled, as tears started appearing in Misha's eyes.

"That… that _hurt_!" Misha complained.

"Well, now you know. Just do as you are told," he grinned. He lay down on top of her and started massaging her breasts. She moaned again, and wriggled about as it appeared the spell was getting stronger. Voldemort started pulling her down. "You may suck me now," he said, as he pushed her face down on him.

The girl, clearly frightened now, obliged immediately. Voldemort navigated himself between Sally's legs and started playing around with her. He leaned his head on her leg and groaned. "Ahh, perfect," he said, as he moved one hand up to Sally's belly and lightly dragged his nails down on it. He gently touched her clit with his tongue, and Sally gasped. She almost jumped out of her skin from shock! He'd never done that before. He chuckled again. Then he pushed two fingers inside her, and gently nipped her with his teeth. It felt good, but it also made her feel very scared. She was concerned he'd bite her, like he had done Misha, but in this much more sensitive area. He didn't though, and she was starting to relax and enjoy herself, although she was still somewhat wary.

Misha was starting to make more noise, Sally assumed the spell must be getting her near completion. Voldemort had noticed it too, as he stopped what he was doing and said, "Okay, enough now, come back up!"

Misha came back up, with a blissful expression on her face. Voldemort pulled her up further, until they were both level with Sally.

"How are you feeling, Misha?" he asked.

"Great!" she replied. "Fantastic!"

"Are you almost there?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm… I'm going to come!" she announced, as she was breathing faster and faster.

Sally studied Voldemort's expression, as he laughed softly. She didn't like it. It seemed to her he was up to something. He reached out and his fingers closed around his wand.

"Let me know when it is imminent," he grinned.

"I'm… I'm coming… _now_!" she yelled out.

He nodded cruelly. "Crucio!" he yelled, and just as she gasped in pleasure, her eyes started bulging. The gasp turned into a scream.

Sally stared in shock at Misha, as Voldemort was laughing out loud. Then he turned around to Sally, cast a spell and got on top of her, flung his arms around her, buried his face in her hair, pushed her legs apart and entered. Sally moaned loudly as the spell was intense right away. Voldemort groaned in pleasure, as Misha was screaming and writhing around in pain next to them.

"Oh! Oh… Merlin!" Sally cried out. "Make her stop! Please!"

He chuckled, as his lips were pressing in her neck, but he made no move to relieve the poor girl. They were both climaxing as poor Misha was suffering greatly. Afterwards, Sally couldn't wait for him to get off of her and relieve the girl, but he seemed to be in no hurry. He continued to slowly move around inside her, relishing the feeling. Finally, he got off and stopped the spell on poor Misha. She was shaking in pain and fear now.

"Now, Misha," he said with a chuckle. "I want you to go and lick my girl."

_What_? Thought Sally with a shock. She pulled up her legs in a reflex. Misha didn't say a word, she was just lying there, curled up into herself, trembling.

"Did you not hear me?" said Voldemort sternly now, as he pulled her by her hair and dragged her towards Sally. He pushed Sally's legs apart and pulled Misha's head up between them. "Stick out your tongue!" he commanded.

Misha, who was practically paralyzed with fear now, stuck out her tongue.

"Now, are you ready?" he whispered, in a somewhat friendlier tone. Slightly comforted, she nodded. "Alright, here we go," he said, a vicious smile on his lips, as he pushed her down on Sally. She screamed. Voldemort laughed. "Lick her! Come on, lick her!" he yelled, as he kept her head down. Misha was wriggling, crying, flailing her arms as she fought to get away from Sally, but Voldemort kept her head down as he laughed maliciously.

When he finally let go of her, Sally caught a glimpse of her face, which was burning red, especially around her mouth, and she saw blisters already formed and more coming up, disfiguring her face. Misha was screaming and crying, as Voldemort was laughing out loud, relishing in her agony.

Sally started crying now too. "Please, please, stop it!"

"Stop what?" he chuckled, as he turned to face Sally. "I'm not doing anything!"

"She's… she's hurting badly! Please make her stop hurting!"

He grinned, got off of the bed, picked something up and came back. He handed Sally her wand. "_You_ stop it."

Sally stared at the wand in her hand. "H… how do I do that?" she stammered.

His now scarlet pupils were shining brightly, and gave her a chill that reached into the very depths of her soul. "Avada Kedavra," he whispered softly, almost lovingly, in a tone of utter excitement.

"What? No!" Sally said. "No… no way!"

He shrugged. "Fine, but she will not survive. She will die a slow and painful death. The skin on her face is slowly going to deteriorate, and eventually fall off. The flesh underneath it will shrink away and rot, and she will be in excruciating pain during this lengthy ordeal."

He gave her a wicked grin. Sally started to feel sick.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled, and poor Misha curled into herself, screaming, if possible, even louder than before.

Sally was horrified beyond belief. "NO, NO! No more! Please, why are you doing this? What has she done?"

"You can stop it, Sally. Right now, right here. Just two words… and she will not have to suffer anymore. It will be the kindest thing you can do for her."

"Take off the Cruciatus curse!" Sally screamed.

"No," he said calmly. "You will have to watch her suffer until she dies. And I promise you, it will be a while!"

Tears were streaming from Sally's eyes. She gripped her wand tightly. What should she do? She couldn't possibly let this poor girl suffer for who knew how long! She swallowed hard.

He narrowed his eyes, as an excited expression appeared on his face. He knew she was considering it.

Then a high pitched shriek issued from the poor suffering girl. Sally could just make out the word, "Stop!" But it was almost unrecognizable. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her ears, pressing them tightly shut. It was no use. She was screaming so loud, she could not block out the sound.

She opened her eyes and stared at the contorted face of the girl, her eyes dark and empty, showing nothing but fear and pain. Misha's hands moved to her face, and started clawing at it, pulling off pieces of skin. Sally stared at her in horror as she was doing this, until she couldn't bear it anymore.

"She is not going to make it, Sally," Voldemort grinned, looking exhilarated.

Sally took one more look at the tormented girl. Then she lifted her wand and concentrated, trying to feel as much anger as she could muster. "Avada Kedavra!" she shouted, and a burst of green light erupted from her wand. The screaming stopped.

Voldemort looked ecstatic. "Yes!" he yelled. "_Yes_, you did it! Great job, Sally!"

She gave him a look of loathing, as she dropped her wand in defeat. She took her face in her hands and cried and cried and cried.

She felt his hands on hers. Apparently he had gone to sit opposite her on the bed. He gently pried her hands away from her. He let go of one of them, and she felt him push her wand in the other.

"We are not quite done yet, Sally. You are going to make a horcrux now."

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** Summary:  
** Voldemort ends up using Sally's claim to severely injure Misha. Adding the Cruciatus curse, he tells Sally he will keep it up until she dies,  
** and Misha will suffer greatly until that time. He tells Sally that the only way for her to stop Misha's suffering, would be to kill her with the  
** killing curse. Sally eventually gives in and kills Misha, after which Voldemort tells her to make a horcrux.  
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	75. Depression

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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The next morning when Sally woke up, Voldemort was already gone. She sighed deep. She hadn't been sleeping very well, Misha's face had been plaguing her dreams. The previous day had easily been the worst day of her life. She couldn't believe she'd actually killed someone! And then, just as she thought it couldn't get any worse, she had ended up making a horcrux!

She had originally refused to do it, but Voldemort had been extremely insistent. He'd told her that if she didn't do it voluntarily, he would make her do it via the Imperius Curse, and so Sally had finally given in. Feruca was now her horcrux.

She looked at the little snake that was sleeping at her feet. She was not so little anymore, actually. She wasn't quite as big as Nagini yet, but she was certainly growing fast. According to Voldemort, Feruca would now be perfectly obedient to her, even more so than before. The horcrux would protect the snake, extending her life indefinitely. She would no longer die of old age. The only way for her to die now would be via things like Basilisk venom or Fiendfyre, just like Nagini.

Sally shook her head as she stared at the snake. She still couldn't believe that she had split her soul! What a terrible thing to do! She had never wanted this to happen. She let herself fall back onto the bed. She didn't want to get up. She didn't think she ever wanted to get up again. She closed her eyes and Misha's face once again appeared. She turned around, put her face in her arms and cried. Again.

Sally didn't do much at all that day. She just stayed in bed. She didn't even get dressed. Wolny brought her breakfast, and took the tray back at lunch time after she had put down a new one with her lunch. She hadn't eaten a bite. At dinner time Wolny still found her staring at the ceiling, and noticed the untouched lunch tray.

"Is Mistress not feeling well? Mistress is not eating," she said.

Sally shook her head. "You're right, I'm not feeling well at all, Wolny. I'm sorry. Please take all the food away, I really have no appetite."

"As you wish, Mistress," replied Wolny, and she took everything away.

----------

Later that evening, Voldemort turned up. He gave her a big grin as he entered, and went to sit next to her on the bed. He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Hello my lovely daughter. How are you?"

She shot him a foul look. "Terrible, thanks to you!" she replied.

He laughed, and started playing with her hair. "I apologize for yesterday. It will not happen again, I will not bring anybody else into our bed anymore. You suffice to keep me satisfied."

She stared at him. As if that had been the worst of it!

He gave her an endearing smile as he gently stroked her cheeks. "Sally… my daughter… now, we shall be together forever. For eternity!"

She gulped. The thought didn't exactly cheer her up.

"Also, you are free again. Now that you have a horcrux, you are no longer a danger to me. You will be able to go out by yourself whenever you want."

She was still staring at him. _That_ thought _should_ have cheered her up. It would have done, normally. But right now, nothing was able to dispel her gloomy mood, as she was still seeing Misha every time she closed her eyes. She felt like she was at the end of the line. She was no longer able to die, yet, she wished she could…

He must have noticed her somber expression and the dim look in her eyes, since he stopped smiling. "You do not look pleased."

She could feel him try to enter her mind. She let him, as she had no strength, energy or desire to stop him. Besides, she didn't even care anymore. She didn't care about anything, really. Anything at all.

Fortunately, he only touched that which was at the surface of her mind. Misha.

"She was just a Muggle," he said with a frown. "No big deal! Nothing to get worked up about, you didn't even _like_ her!"

She just looked at him and didn't reply. It wasn't worth arguing with him. She'd always lose anyway, one way or another. So she just nodded.

He folded his arms and stared at her a bit longer. Then he left.

----------

She heard him come back later that night. She wasn't asleep. She had been drifting in and out of her nightmares. She knew he'd know she was awake, but she didn't care. She was just feeling so _bad_. So utterly, utterly _bad_. She even wished he would do something bad to her. Torture her or something, as she felt like she deserved it. She had taken a life. She should be punished.

He got into bed and moved close to her. She could feel his breath in her neck. His hands were traveling over her body. She closed her eyes and just let it happen.

But nothing _did_ happen. He didn't get the reaction he wanted, and stopped. He was asleep shortly after.

The next day went by pretty much like the one before. She spent the day in bed, drifting in and out of restless sleep. She drank some water, but didn't eat. She cried on occasion.

At some point, in the afternoon, as she woke up screaming after yet another nightmare, she saw him standing in the door opening, looking at her with his arms folded. She noticed his eyes. There was something strange, something unusual about them, as he stood there looking at her. He left as soon as she spotted him, but she wondered how long he had been standing there, and what was different about his eyes. Then it came to her. They were dark, very dark, almost black. Which was not that unusual, of course. But what _was_ unusual, was the absence of any kind of redness, at that particular moment…

----------

Draco was sitting in an armchair in the living room of the Manor. He sighed deep. He was once again thinking about Sally. He thought she was going to fight the Dark Lord with the Order people, defeat him and then come back to _him_, Draco.

But then, for some inexplicable reason, the town she was living in, was destroyed. He'd been very worried about her, until he got a message from the Order saying that she was alright, but that she was back at the Riddle House and no longer allowed out on her own.

Sally had told the Order members about her feelings for him, which is why they felt the need to inform him. Fortunately! He would have been sick with worry by now, otherwise.

But he did wonder why she was back there. Had she gone back by herself? Or had they captured her? And why was Purley destroyed? It _had_ to have something to do with her, he had no doubt about that. And he wondered how their _plan_ was going. Was it still on, now that Sally was no longer with them?

He sighed once more. He was thinking about her all the time now, he just couldn't get her out of his mind. He'd been so happy when she had let him know she wanted to be with him and would fight her father. And now? Now everything was up in the air again! He wondered if he would ever see her again, even!

Officially, he was still seeing Astoria. Sally had made it clear that that was what she wanted, when she originally sent him the message. And he agreed, it was indeed the smart thing to do. But he had been anxious to get back with Sally and much less interested in Astoria. He'd been making lots of excuses, and had been avoiding Astoria's company as much as he could.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. And that's when he felt the burn.

He sat up with a shock, and quickly rolled up his left sleeve. The Dark Mark! It was burning! That meant that the Dark Lord needed him.

_The Dark Lord needed him?_

He felt a chill creeping up his back. Why would the Dark Lord need him? He hadn't called him at all since his resurrection. So why now? Now that all these weird things were happening? What did he want from him?

He wondered if he should answer the call at all. It couldn't possibly mean anything good. Should he run? Hide? He hesitated for a moment. Then he decided he shouldn't. He had to answer the call, or they would come find him, and then he'd _really_ be in trouble. He had no option.

So he got up, put his right index finger on the burning mark, and disapparated. This would get him to the nearest place to the Dark Lord that he could apparate to.

He ended up right in front of the gates of the Riddle House. As soon as he got there, the voice that was still giving him nightmares, sounded out loud and clear, "Draco Malfoy, you may enter."

Draco swallowed hard, then cautiously entered, and walked up to the front door of the house. The door was opened by an elf, who led him to a room. He knocked and entered.

A young man was standing before him. Draco was temporarily confused.

"Draco," the young man said with a smirk. "It pleases me to see you still answer your master's call."

Draco recognized the voice, realized the young man must be the Dark Lord, and fell on his knees. "My Lord," he said, his voice slightly higher pitched than usual.

Voldemort stood and looked at him for a moment, before he started talking. "Get up, Draco."

Draco got up.

"You are wondering why you are here, are you not?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"I have a job for you."

Draco waited patiently, as Voldemort paused for a moment.

"My daughter, Draco. Sally. I am sure you remember her."

Draco looked up with a shock. "Of… of course," he stammered, forgetting the necessary, 'My Lord' part.

Voldemort frowned, but decided to let it slip. "I have had to be a little… harsh with her, a few days ago. And now, she seems to be somewhat… depressed." He looked intently at Draco. "I do not want her to be depressed. She is my daughter, I need her to be happy. But I don't seem to be able to do it."

Draco stared back. He was confused. What did this have to do with him?

Voldemort laughed softly. "It will be your job, Draco, to make her happy again."

Draco was speechless for a moment. He couldn't believe his ears! Was he really saying what he thought he was saying? He wanted _him_ to make Sally _happy_? "H… how would you like me to do that, my Lord?" he finally managed to say.

"Oh, I am sure you will be able to think of something," Voldemort replied with a smirk.

There was another, for Draco, uncomfortable silence as the two men were staring at each other. Then Voldemort called for Wolny, and the elf entered the room.

"Wolny, take Mr. Malfoy here to my bedroom," he told her.

"Th… thank you, my Lord," Draco stammered, unsure of what else to say.

Voldemort turned sharply towards him, his eyes piercing into Draco's. Draco noticed the red glow burning like fire in them now. "Do not thank me!" he said in an angry tone. "I am _NOT_ doing you a favor! You are just doing a _job_ for me, understand?"

"Y… Yes my Lord," Draco stammered again as he let himself fall back on his knees.

Voldemort threw him another icy look, then turned his back. Draco got up and followed Wolny out the door.

As he was walking through the hallways and up the stairs, Draco couldn't help thinking that this _had_ to be the best job he'd ever been given…


	76. Draco to the Rescue

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally lay curled up in a ball on her bed. She heard the door open, and someone enter the room. She didn't look up. She knew it had to be Voldemort, as Wolny, or even anybody else, would have said something by now. She felt him sit down on the bed next to her. She sighed. She wished he would just leave her alone.

She felt him stare at her. He was staring at her for an unusually long time. She wondered what he was waiting for. If he was waiting for her to look up at him, he would have a long wait! Not unless he told her to, would she look at him.

"Wow, Sally, you look a real mess!"

In a second, she was sitting up straight, staring into the eyes of the young man sitting in front of her. "Draco!" she breathed. Her eyes opened as wide as they could go. She pinched herself. She had to be dreaming! This had to be a dream… hadn't it?

Then her eyes narrowed, and she started looking suspicious. "What happened the last time I saw you? Just before you left?"

He laughed softly. "You asked me to come in with you and I refused."

Her eyes opened wide again and she flew him around his neck. "Draco! Draco, it really _is_ you!" she exclaimed, beside herself with happiness for a moment.

But then she seemed to come back down to earth again. "What are you doing here?"

"I was… summoned by your father." And smirking at her perplexed expression, he continued, "Apparently, you are unhappy. And _I_ am supposed to fix that!"

She stared at him for a long time. "You… you are joking, aren't you?"

"No. I'm dead serious."

She kept staring at him as a small smile entered her lips. He took that as his cue to take her in his arms and kiss her.

Sally hugged Draco like she was never going to let him go again. Tears streamed down her face as she was kissing him. Draco felt the wetness of her tears, opened his eyes, broke the kiss and looked at her. "Really, Sally. You used to actually enjoy kissing me! Was it _that_ bad?"

Sally giggled through her tears. "Draco, it's… it's just that… I'm so happy that you're here, but I don't deserve you! You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't be with me! I've done… I've done something terrible!" She looked at him with tearstained eyes, then pressed her head against his chest.

He laughed sarcastically at her. "You've done something terrible, Sally? And what was that? Did you not eat your vegetables? Or was it something really, _really_ bad, like sticking your tongue out at someone?"

She stared at him now, no longer smiling. "I killed a girl."

He stared back at her, his eyes opened wide, as _his_ smile now also vanished from his face. "You… you did _what_?"

"I killed a girl and then I made a horcrux."

"_**WHAT**_?"

Draco stared at her in shock as Sally burst into tears and threw herself on the bed, bawling. He just sat there for a few minutes, staring at her. Then he finally crawled on his knees next to her, put an arm around her and started stroking her hair.

"Sally," he began. "Sit up. Please! Look at me!"

He gently pulled her up and lifted her chin towards him. He stroked her cheek, wiped her tears and kissed her gently on her forehead.

Then he smiled at her. "Now, tell me what happened."

Sobbing, she told him everything that had happened. From the moment he left her when they last saw each other, to the moment she killed Misha and turned Feruca into a horcrux. And then she told him about the nightmares afterwards.

When she finally finished talking, he held her tight to him. He didn't say a word, just held her. She cried at first, then her cries turned into sobs, and slowly, bit by bit, she started to calm down.

He slowly lay her down on the bed and started kissing her face and her neck, at any point he could possibly reach. And he kept that up until she started giggling through her sobs. Then he pulled up her nightie and stuck his head underneath it, and started blowing raspberries on her belly.

"Dra… co!" she giggled.

He pulled his head out and gave her an innocent look. "What?"

She gave a stifled sob as she smiled at him.

"That's a little better… I think," he said. "Feeling happier yet?"

She didn't reply.

"Hmm, not quite there yet? Time for more _drastic_ action then!"

He stuck his head back under her nightie, but instead of blowing raspberries, he started kissing her belly, and pulled his fingers over her skin, eliciting a soft moan from her. He moved both his hands down and started pulling down her undies, until they came off. Then he moved his head further down, and gently licked her most sensitive area.

She gasped. "Ohhh… oh, Draco!" she breathed.

She could feel his hot breath on her as he grinned at her mention of his name. He continued, teasingly slow at first, driving her almost insane with desire, until she _begged_ him to speed up.

Then he went faster. Her body tensed up and started moving with him, and her moans were getting louder. She called out his name, over and over again. He went faster and faster, her body tensed up more until it could go no further, she gasped, stopped breathing, and her eyes opened as wide as they could possibly go when the feeling suddenly hit her.

It seemed to rise from every part of her body and collide in the very center of her being. It was amazing. Incredible! She gasped, as slowly the ability to breathe appeared to come back to her. Waves of pleasure were rolling through her body and she moaned out loud. She didn't think it was possible to feel any better than she did at _that_ moment. Tears were once again pricking behind her eyes, but this time they were tears of pleasure and happiness.

"Ohhhh, Draco, Draco!" she cried out.

He pushed himself back up to her face, a big smile on his. As soon as he was close enough, she threw her arms around him. "Draco, Draco, Draco," she cried. "That was… that was… unbelievable! You're… you're amazing!"

He chuckled in her ear as he was immobilized by her hug. "I know, I know!"

She desperately started pulling at his clothes. She wanted him naked. Right then, right there. She wanted to feel his naked body against hers.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down! You're ruining my clothes! I'll take them off, just give me a minute!" He tore himself away from her and took his clothes off. Then he went back to her, a big grin on his face. She stared at him with a longing look, and moved her nails slowly over his chest downwards.

When she reached a certain point, he stopped her very quickly. "Stop, sweetie, I'm a little… over-excited!"

He pushed her legs apart and positioned himself between them, meanwhile staring deep into her eyes. Then he slowly entered her.

She arched her back and groaned. Her eyes wanted to close, but she forced them to stay open. She didn't want to lose sight of those pools of silver… she wanted to savor every moment of his entry into her and get lost into his eyes as he did so. And she did. The world stood still for a moment as she wrapped her legs around his hips. All she saw was him, and nothing else mattered anymore, just him. It was as if their bodies had become one.

When he started moving inside her, she felt herself tensing up again. She closed her eyes for a moment. Only a short moment, as she had a desperate urge to see him as she felt him taking over her body. She clung on to him as if she would drown if she let go. But she drowned anyway. She drowned in her desire for him, she drowned in those lakes of silver, and she could think of no better way to drown.

Then she saw _his_ eyes close briefly too, and she could feel him tense up. And as he did so, she could feel herself tense up again as well, as the intense feeling she had experienced shortly before, once again overtook her. But this time, they felt it together. And for a moment, one wonderful, delicious, satisfying moment, all her worries were gone and there was just him and her, bonded together as one.

"I love you, Draco, I love you. I love you so much, you have no idea!" she whispered, as her body was shaking with the pleasure she was feeling.

He seemed to be catching his breath. He was unable to speak for a moment. Then he swallowed, and whispered softly in her ear, "I knew I'd be able to make you feel better!"

Both of them laughed, and they held on to one another, reveling in the feeling of their togetherness.

Finally, he rolled off of her, but refused to let go. And so they were lying next to each other, wrapped up in a tight embrace.

They stayed like that for maybe an hour. It was a long time, but not long enough. Not long enough by far, for either of them, when the bedroom door opened and Voldemort strode in.

He stood just inside the door, his arms folded. "Alright, Draco," he said with a scowl. "That is enough, time to go. Get dressed and get out."

Reluctantly, Draco let go of Sally and got up. He got dressed quickly as she was staring at him with sadness in her eyes. When he finished dressing, he reached out a hand towards her, but before he could touch her, he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

"I said _enough_," he heard Voldemort say.

Their eyes met one last time, as he turned towards the door. Sally thought she could see desperation and frustration now, in those gorgeous silver-grey eyes. Those beautiful eyes of the man who had given her so much.

"Wait for me in the hall downstairs, I shall need to talk with you in a moment," Voldemort said as Draco started to leave.

"Yes, my Lord," replied Draco as he bowed his head for him. Then he left.

Voldemort closed the door behind him and walked over to Sally.

"So, how do you feel now?" he said with a smile, as he reached out to touch her face.

She winced as he touched her, and he quickly withdrew his hand.

"Ahhhhh, it is me, isn't it?" He folded his arms and just grinned at her for a moment. "No matter, that will change soon enough."

Then he got up and left the room.

----------

Once downstairs, Voldemort faced Draco. "You may go now. I might need you again sometime; I shall call you if I do." And he strode past him into the living room.

Draco was extremely puzzled about Voldemort's highly peculiar behavior, but knew he had no option but to obey. So he left the Riddle House and went back home.

----------

Sally stayed in bed only for a little longer that day. She decided she wanted to eat something, so she got up, showered and dressed. Then she went into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. Once she started to eat, she realized she was ravenous.

When Wolny entered the kitchen, she seemed happy. "Mistress is finally eating again! Is Mistress feeling better?"

Sally smiled at the little elf. "I guess so."

She _was_ feeling better, she realized, as she went back upstairs. Yes, she was still upset about what had happened, what she had done. But Draco had made her feel alive again. And maybe life _was_ worth living after all!

Once back upstairs, she went back to bed, as she was exhausted. Even though she had spent most of the last couple of days in bed, she had actually done very little sleeping, and the sleeping that she _had_ done, had been dominated by bad dreams, all of them involving the girl she had murdered.

This time, she was thinking about Draco as she finally fell into a restful, calm and peaceful sleep.

----------

She woke up many hours later. The sun was shining through the windows, it was morning already. Within moments after she opened her eyes, Voldemort was standing next to her.

"So, finally awake? I thought you would never wake up. You have been asleep since 7 'o clock last night!"

Sally sat up, staring ahead of her as if in a daze. She still felt half asleep. She shook her head in an effort to wake herself up more. "Wow, I _did_ sleep a while!"

He smiled at her. "Yes, and Wolny informed me you are eating again too. I guess you are feeling better?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

He sat down on the bed next to her. "Do not pretend, I know you had a good time yesterday. You enjoyed my little present to you, did you not?"

She stared at him. "Yes, but… why?"

He laughed softly. "Why? You seemed… upset." He reached out a hand and touched her face. This time she didn't wince. "I want to see you happy, Sally. You _are_ my daughter, after all." He pulled her face towards him and looked her in the eyes. "So, did he make you happy, Sally?"

Sally stared back at him. Yes, Draco made her happy. But was she really happy? She still had killed that girl, nothing could change that! And she would always be unhappy about that. But aside from that, yes, being with Draco definitely made her happy. So she nodded.

He let go of her and got off the bed. "Great!" he said, grinning. "In that case, I will have him come back today. You may move back to your old room. In fact, why don't you go shopping this morning? By the time you come back, it will be done."

She stared at him, open-mouthed. "Are you… are you _serious_, father?" she stammered.

"Of course," he said, as he looked back at her.

"But… but… I thought…."

He sat back down next to her again. "What, Sally? What did you think?"

"I… I thought you… I thought you wanted to keep me for yourself?"

He started to stroke her hair and moved his face close to hers. "I would, but not if that makes you unhappy, poppet. I do not want you to wince when I touch you. You don't, now, so let's keep it that way!"

Sally's brain was working feverishly. Was he really serious? That would be… that would be fantastic! But… it seemed so unlike him! "Th… thank you, father," she finally said.

"You are welcome," he said, as he got up again. "Now, enjoy your day. I shall have Draco here by 7:30 tonight. You can have dinner before that, while you are out, if you want. Have fun!"

With that, he walked out and closed the door behind her.

Sally wasn't sure if she was still dreaming. This just seemed too good to be true! She got up, showered and dressed. Then she set off for her day out.

----------

As soon as she was gone, Draco was summoned to the Riddle House again.

"Good morning, Draco," Voldemort said, as he stood in front of him.

"Good morning, my Lord," Draco said as he bowed his head.

"Look at me."

Draco looked up, and Voldemort stared at him for a bit. "So, Draco," he said, finally. "I see you had a good time, yesterday, did you not?"

"Yes, my Lord," Draco answered. 'Damn,' he thought to himself. He'd performed Legilimency on him! He should have protected himself. He hadn't wanted him to see what had happened; it was private!

"But," Voldemort said, smiling now. "You have a girlfriend! Don't you, Draco?"

Draco looked down at his feet. "Yes, my Lord."

"Astoria Greengrass," Voldemort said softly, in an –almost- whisper. "Nice girl, Draco?"

He nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed softly. "Draco, you did very well yesterday. Sally's mood has improved significantly. I have decided you may continue to 'entertain' her." He paused for a moment, grinning as he noticed the incredulous expression on Draco's face. "She is moving into a different room today. Come back tonight, and you may stay until morning. Then you may come back most days, unless I tell you otherwise."

Draco couldn't believe his ears. He had trouble hiding his excitement, his heart was beating so fast. But how was this possible? Was there a catch? There had to be, didn't there? "Yes, my Lord," he said, failing to keep the enthusiasm out of his voice.

"Good," Voldemort said. "Just one last thing then."

Draco looked at him expectantly.

"Your girlfriend, Astoria."

"Yes, my Lord," said Draco quickly. "She'll go. I will break up with her."

"No, you will not. I am ordering you to continue seeing her."

Draco frowned. "W…what?"

"Furthermore, you will never mention to Sally that I have ordered you to stay with Ms. Greengrass. Nor will you ever tell Sally that you… _love_… her."

Draco swallowed. Right, there was the catch, he thought. He must have some sort of plan! A plan that would obviously not benefit him, Draco. But what could he do? "Y… yes, my Lord," he replied softly.

Voldemort stared at him intently. "Do not think to fool around with me, Draco. I will know if you tell her. And the consequences will be unimaginable! For _you_, that is."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And make sure you keep Ms. Greengrass happy. If I find she broke up with _you_, for example, I will assume you have not made much of an effort. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good. Then you may go. Be back here at 7:30 tonight."

"Yes, my Lord," Draco bowed again, as he walked out of the room with a heavy heart. He wasn't stupid, he had a good idea about Voldemort's intentions now. But there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Was there?


	77. Plans and Musings

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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Sally was feeling better every day. She had a wonderful time. She saw Draco a lot, and cherished every minute she spent with him. She still felt bad about Misha, and occasionally still dreamed about her. But it was getting less, at least. And she tried not to think about the fact that she had made herself a horcrux. She had put that fact in the back of her mind and was leaving it be.

Now that she was no longer living in his room, she rarely ever saw Voldemort anymore. But she was more than okay with that! She still shivered as she thought about the way he had behaved when Misha was there. But he must feel some kind of remorse, she thought, as he was doing his very best to patch things up between him and her, notably by letting her get back with Draco. And she was certainly grateful for that!

And then, of course, there was the fact that he had saved her life, at great risk to himself. She thought she really ought to be grateful for _that_, too.

Almost two weeks had gone by, and she had not contacted the Order, even though she could. She was free to go wherever she wanted after all. But she couldn't. She couldn't make herself. She had given the Order the information they needed, and she thought that ought to be enough. She could negate that by telling Voldemort about it, but she wouldn't. They had to have their chance, at least. But she didn't think she could help them anymore than she already had. Not now.

Draco seemed very happy to be with her again. She certainly had the feeling he loved her, although he hadn't actually said it anymore. Not since that day in Purley. On occasion, though, he seemed a little sad, and she couldn't quite figure out why. She had asked him about it, but he always dismissed it. It almost seemed like he was hiding something from her. Well, whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be important, or he would have told her, wouldn't he?

----------

When Sally had come to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix that first time, after she had talked to Draco, Harry had asked her why she had finally decided to help them. Sally had told him that she had talked to Draco, and that he had convinced her it was the right thing to do.

Harry had been very pleased with himself, as clearly his talk with Draco had had an effect after all. Hermione, of course, had not neglected to tell everyone that Dumbledore had been right all along, Draco really _was_ Sally's weakness.

At the moment, at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, things were starting to look up. Slowly, bit by bit, they were getting nearer to their goal. The information Sally had provided, was invaluable. Ron and Hermione were now key to the plan, due to the fact that Harry's sacrifice was still in place for them, as Voldemort never _did_ get their blood.

But there were a few issues. First of all, they needed to get him alone. Should he have any Death Eaters with him, Hermione and Ron would be killed in an instant, and their plan would be thwarted.

Then there was the issue of the horcruxes. Hermione had been researching them, and had discovered a lot. She had eventually figured out the differences and the relationship between a life force and its associated soul. They knew now, that because of his horcruxes, they could not destroy Voldemort's life force, even if they destroyed his body. But they thought they might be able to capture it somehow! Sally taught them the procedure she followed to provide a new body for Voldemort after he had been 'killed'. They were now aware that she had supplied this new body to the wandering life force.

They needed to use that method, and alter it in such a way that the body provided would not be a proper body, but an object. Something small, something they could lock away somewhere, never to be accessed again!

And that's what they had been working on. Hermione especially, with some help from Percy. And they were getting awfully close! They thought they were on the brink of figuring out the correct procedure to be able to transfer the life force into an object.

But they still had to figure out a way to stop his life force from leaving the area, once his body was killed. Harry, Ron and some others were working on that, but hadn't gotten very far yet.

Furthermore, the Order was growing. Several graduated Hogwarts students had now joined them, Luna Lovegood being their latest addition, after she had contacted them with Sally's message. She and Neville, who had joined them earlier, had been extremely brave and useful. They had been hiding out near the Riddle House, pretending to be looking for fancy plants and unusual creatures.

In reality, however, they had been keeping track of anyone turning up and leaving at the apparition point in front of the gates. They had been keeping their distance, of course, using particularly powerful omnioculars to be able to get the information they needed.

But the information Luna and Neville had provided lately, had been far from encouraging. They were all shocked to learn that Draco had become a regular guest at the Riddle House. Several people had been looking very smug at this, as if they wanted to say, "Told you so." But also, it was now clear that Sally _was_ able to go out by herself, and that there were no Death Eaters accompanying her on her trips.

Yet, she had never been back to their Headquarters anymore. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the kitchen table discussing this.

"I guess this was to be expected," said Harry. "Draco must have given him some information about us, got back into his good graces and is now part of it all again."

"Yes," said Ron. "And I bet he got to go out with Sally again, too."

Hermione sighed deep. "Which clearly must be why Sally is no longer helping us. She now has Draco, and that was all she wanted in the first place anyway. He was the only reason she was helping us after all!"

They all looked somber. "Damn shame," said Harry. "She was so much help, and she could have helped us a lot more."

"Yes," said Hermione. "But the question now becomes, what did Draco give away about us? He must have told him _something_ in order to get back in his favor again!"

"Yes, that is indeed the problem," said Harry. "We cannot rule out that he now knows that we have a plan. And that it involves the two of you!"

Ron was rubbing his face. "That would be really bad."

"Exactly," said Hermione. "We're going to have to be very careful. Only one of us should go, in case it goes wrong."

There was silence. They all knew what she meant with that. If he knew about the plan, whoever was there was sure to be killed. If Ron and Hermione were both there, all their hopes could be destroyed at once.

"Or maybe we shouldn't do it at all! He's bound to know. He must know!" Harry said, with a worried look.

"But it's our only chance, mate," said Ron. "If we don't do this, what else have we got?"

There was another silence.

"Nothing," said Hermione finally.

"Exactly," said Ron. "We have to risk it. Like it or not!"

"It could be suicide!" said Harry.

"Ron's right, though," said Hermione. "But let's not worry about that just yet. We're still not ready. Once we are, we can talk about this again."

They all agreed, and left it at that.

-----------

"Sally," Draco began carefully, as he was lying next to her. "Did you ever…" But he didn't finish his sentence.

Sally looked puzzled. "Did I ever what?"

He turned to face her, and moved a little closer. "Did you ever go back to see the Order? I mean, after what happened in Purley?"

Sally stared at him. "No."

"Oh. Any particular reason why you didn't?"

She frowned. "Why do you care? You told me yourself you only wanted me to do that because you wanted _me_ back. Well, you have me now anyway, don't you?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." But he sounded unconvinced.

"Would you have wanted me to go back then?"

He shrugged again. "I suppose so. It doesn't feel like I _really_ have you, right now."

"But, Draco, you do! Besides, it would be very risky. What if it goes wrong?"

He looked shiftily at her. "Yeah, sure."

"You don't seem convinced."

"I thought you were agreeing with their reasoning."

"Yeah… I was. Then. But now?"

"You want to continue having him around, don't you?"

She stared at him again. Was he right? Was that why, because she wanted to continue having him around? But he did such terrible things! She sighed. He did. Still, Draco was right. She didn't _really_ want him to disappear from her life. "I… I guess I do," she said, after thinking about it for a few moments.

He sighed too. "Fine, whatever," he said resignedly.

He didn't bring it up again. Still, the conversation bothered her. She never thought Draco cared much about Voldemort's atrocities, especially now that he seemed to be back in his favor. So why would he bring it up in the first place? Shrugging, she dismissed the thought for a moment. But it continued to bother her, and every now and then the thought would come back to her, and she would ponder over it for a while.


	78. Shattered

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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One evening, about a month after Sally got back with Draco, he wandered into her room. Sally was sitting at a desk, reading a book.

"Hey sweetheart," he said, as he walked over to where she was sitting.

"Hey," she said as she gave him a loving smile.

"What are you reading?"

"Nothing," she said, as she slammed the book shut. "Well, nothing that would be more interesting than you, anyway."

He grinned at her. "That would be because the book that's more interesting than me, doesn't actually exist."

She stood up and faced him. "So modest, aren't you?"

"Why, do you disagree?"

"I didn't say that!" She started playing around with the buttons on his shirt.

He picked her up, put her on the bed and lay down next to her. Then he started taking off her clothes.

"Whoa, are you in a hurry, Draco?" she giggled, as she stared at his eager eyes.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am!"

She had a great time with him, as usual, although there was something strange about him, and she couldn't quite figure out what. He seemed to act somewhat different than normal. She wondered if there was something on his mind…

"Are you okay, Draco?" she asked.

"Yeah, great. That was great. _Amazing_, even."

"Oh."

"Why? Something wrong?"

"No, it's just… I don't know. You seem a little… different today."

He raised his eyebrows. "In what way?"

"I don't know. I can't quite put my finger on it. Just…"

He grinned at her, stroked her hair and started kissing her face. "You worry too much! You are a bit paranoid sometimes. Relax! Have fun!"

She giggled. He was right, of course. What could possibly be wrong? And she decided to take his advice and relax. She put her arms around him and kissed him.

"Much better," he said, as he hugged her and buried his face in her hair.

Draco was going to stay the night, as he would often do now. She thought he must have been tired, as he fell asleep pretty quickly. Sally was still awake, while he appeared to be sound asleep.

She noticed him mumbling in his sleep. He must be dreaming, she thought. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Curious, she moved in close to him, hoping to catch some of it. He gave her a light push. "Not now, Astoria," he mumbled.

Sally froze. _Astoria_?

She stared at him for a while, listening sharply. But he said no more, and seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully now.

"Draco, wake up!" she yelled, as she shook him awake.

"What? What's up?" He sat up in a daze. "What's the matter, Sally?"

"Are you still seeing Astoria?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Are you still seeing her?"

"Er… what brought this on?"

"Just answer me. Are you, or are you not still seeing Astoria?"

For a little while, he just stared into her eyes, a shocked look on his face, refusing to answer.

She performed Legilimency on him, and gasped at what she saw. "You… you are! You… you never broke up with her, did you?"

"Well, you er… you never said…"

"Draco, how could you? How can you still be with her? I thought you said you loved me!"

He didn't reply.

"You do, don't you?"

He tried his hardest not to look at her.

"Draco! Look at me! Do you _love_ me?"

He slowly turned his head towards her. " Sally, I care about you, you know that!"

"Why are you here? Why are you with me?"

"You know why I'm with you!"

"I want to hear it from you!"

"Because your father told me to."

She gasped. "So you don't actually _want_ to be here?"

"Of course I do. You know I do!"

"Do you love Astoria?"

"I care about her."

"So who do you care about more? Me, or her?"

There was a moment's silence. Then, he said, softly, "You, of course."

"Then break up with her!" she cried out, almost hysterical now, as she could feel panic rising up inside her.

He bit his lip. "I… I can't."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "I just… can't."

He reached out for her, and tried to touch her, but she shrank away from him.

"Sally," he pleaded.

"No," she said, her voice trembling. "I think you should go home!"

"Sally, don't be ridiculous. I don't _want_ to go home!"

She got up off the bed. "Go home, Draco," she commanded.

He got up too, stared at her for a moment, then reluctantly got dressed as Sally put on a bathrobe. When he finished dressing, he walked back over to her. As he stood in front of her, he reached out to stroke her hair for a moment. Then he turned around and left.

As soon as he was gone, Sally sunk through her knees and cried. And cried, and cried, and cried. She had been so upset, that she hadn't even noticed that some of Draco's white blond hair had started to turn darker as he left…

----------

When Draco had turned up to see Sally earlier that evening, he had been sent back home by this guy he knew only as 'Slater'. He had been told his presence was no longer required, and, should the Dark Lord need him at any time in the future, he would call him.

Draco had had no other option than to turn back and go home. He realized that the day he knew would come, had arrived.

----------

Sally decided the next day that she wanted to speak to Voldemort. She told Feruca to ask him if he had a moment for her, sometime. When Feruca came back, she told Sally that he was busy, but would see if he could make some time later that day.

It wasn't until past lunchtime that he turned up in her room.

"Sally, what is it?"

"Nothing much, father. I just wanted to ask you not to call Draco anymore. I don't want to see him for a while."

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you have an argument?"

"Sort of," she replied.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She shook her head.

He took a step closer to her, pulled her chin up and looked in her eyes. "I can help. Whatever you need, Sally, I will make it happen."

She stared at him. He couldn't help her with this. There was nothing he could do about this! She shook her head again.

"Did he upset you? Would you like me to… er…" he smirked, and there seemed to be a twinkle in his eyes now, "punish him?"

"NO!" she said with alarm, and jumped back. "No, that's not necessary… really!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Please don't!"

"Alright, then I shall not."

He took a step towards her again, and put a hand on her shoulder. "You are welcome to stay with me tonight, Sally." He laughed at the fearful look on her face. "I will not touch you, I promise!"

He stared at her intently for a moment. Then he brushed her cheek lightly, and left.

----------

For the rest of the day, Sally tried her very best not to think about Draco. She went out for a bit, wandering through the woods around the House. It was actually very nice out there, she thought. It was warm out, but the trees provided shade and kept it nice and cool. Flowers were blooming, birds whistling. The woods seemed to be alive with the sounds of nature. It was very soothing.

She had no idea that she was being watched.

"What's she doing out here?" said Neville in a whisper.

"I don't know," said Luna. "But she looks so sad! Do you see?"

Neville shrugged. "I don't know. She's smiling!"

Luna shook her head. "No, that's just the outside. Look, Neville. Look at her eyes! Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes are so sad! We should go and talk to her."

"What? No!" said Neville. "No, we can't do that! She's no longer on our side, remember?"

Luna sighed. "I don't believe that. She doesn't look happy. It seems like she's struggling, to me. She's internally divided. Can't you tell?"

Neville stared at Luna with skepticism. "No. No, I can't. And we're _not_ talking to her!"

Luna shrugged. "Oh well. But I think it's wrong. We should."

Neville continued staring at Luna as she gazed into space ahead of her, looking at nothing in particular, but with a small smile on her face, as if there _was_ something there to see, something no one else could see, because they simply weren't looking at it properly.

Neville then shrugged too. Luna sure was an unusual girl, he thought.

After a while, Sally went back into the house. She ate, but automatically. She didn't really taste it. Then she picked up a book and read it. She had trouble comprehending what she was reading, but she continued reading anyway. She did not want to think about Draco. She had had enough heartache over him in the past, she didn't want… no, didn't _need_ any more. So she was determined not to give in to her grief, and pretend she was just fine.

She did pretty well, until it was time to go to sleep. She had stayed up as long as she could, making sure she was tired, hoping to fall asleep quickly. But as soon as she hit her pillow, all her thoughts about him suddenly seem to join together, taking over her mind and soul. The grief and despair she felt was all-consuming, and tears started flowing from her eyes. The flow seemed to be unstoppable, and within a short time her pillow was drenched. She did not seem to be able to control her anguish, or stem the flow of tears.

She sat up in her bed, clutching her pillow. She just felt so lost. So utterly lost and alone! She had nobody. Nobody at all, she thought. Nobody who really cared for her; loved her. She felt forlorn and desolate. She felt Draco had cheated on her, abandoned her. Draco, the one, the only one who had loved her so totally, utterly and completely. Or so she had thought…

Had it all been a lie, she wondered, as she rocked backwards and forward on her bed? And what was she to do now? There was nothing left! Her soul had already been shattered, but now her very being felt like it had been ripped to pieces. And there was no one who could help her. No one who would understand. She had thought Draco understood her, but, clearly, he didn't.

She put her face in her hands. And as she did, the image of Misha, putting her face in _her_ hands came back to her. She suddenly could see, very vividly, her nails going to her face, and ripping at it. Pulling off the skin. And then Sally screamed…

She lay there for what seemed like an eternity, screaming and crying. Of course, no one in the house would hear, since her room was soundproof. But even if it wasn't, she couldn't care at the moment. She wallowed in her misery, her sorrow unbearable.

Finally, she decided she didn't want to be alone any longer. Couldn't be alone any longer. She had to have someone around her, someone who cared. Or at least, someone who would just be there for her.

So she got up out of bed and went to her father's room.

She opened the door and walked over to the bed. He was in it. She stared at him for a moment, as tears were still pouring down her cheeks.

He turned around towards her, pulled back the covers and patted the bed, a silent invite. She took it.

He moved her around so her back was facing him. Then he pulled her close and embraced her. His face in her neck, he started kissing it, as his hands started to roam over her body.

"No, no," she whispered. "No, you promised…"

"Ah, sorry sweetie, I forgot," he whispered back, with a soft chuckle. "It has been such a long time since you were with me, I got a little… carried away."

She didn't say anything. She could feel his excitement, but he stopped kissing her and kept his hands still. And it actually felt good to be held. She sobbed a little more, but then, finally, she managed to fall asleep.

The next morning when she woke up, he was sitting up next to her, playing with her hair. For a moment, she thought she saw what appeared to be a triumphant smile on his face, but then she blinked and it was gone. She must have imagined it, she thought.


	79. Disclosing Truths

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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That morning Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters were having a meeting in the living room of the Riddle House. They were discussing someone at the ministry who had been giving them some trouble lately. The conversation wasn't going very well, and Voldemort was angry.

"So am I to understand, that nothing any of you has tried, has worked so far, and none of you have been able to silence this man?" he seethed.

Slater shook his head. "I am sorry, my Lord, but this man appears to be much more powerful than any of the others we have dealt with before. We can't seem to get to him!"

"Arrrrghhh," shouted Voldemort, as he rose up from his chair in fury, and with an angry swipe brushed a plate, half full with breakfast, onto the floor. It was followed by a mug, still full of coffee. The mug shattered into pieces against a wall, leaving a huge coffee stain.

"I am surrounded by idiots!" he yelled, as he turned away from everyone and rested his head in one of his hands. He stood there for a moment in silence, as every eye in the room was fixed upon him. "Alright," he mumbled finally, seemingly more to himself than to anyone else. "It will be okay. I will just have to deal with him myself."

He turned back around to face his Death Eaters. "Tell me about his day. What does he do, where does he go. And when."

Yaxley, who was once again employed by the ministry, replied, and gave him a full account of the man's usual day.

"So he leaves the ministry every day at 12:30, has lunch at home and comes back at 1:30?" Voldemort reiterated.

Yaxley nodded.

"Good. Good," Voldemort said. "I will be waiting for him today when he comes back. What time is it now?"

"11 O'clock, my Lord," Slater replied.

"Yaxley," said Voldemort. "Prepare the ministry for my arrival. I shall need a coin for entry, and I do not want anyone in my way. Make sure the entrance hall is cleared of anyone who could cause more problems. I will be there at 1:20 and shall return as soon as I am done with our little 'problem'."

He paused a moment. He stood, his arms folded, staring at nothing in particular. "I need a good fuck first," he muttered. "Wolny!"

With a crack, the house elf appeared in the middle of the living room.

"Yes, Master?" she answered with a bow.

"Where is my daughter, Wolny?"

"Mistress is in her room, Master."

"Good," he said, as he turned towards his Death Eaters.

Wolny was still waiting expectantly.

He turned back to her momentarily. "That is it, go," he said, waving her away impatiently, and with another crack, she disapparated.

"We will meet back here at 12:30," he announced to the other men. "I shall be in my daughter's room until then. Do not disturb me, unless it is an emergency and cannot wait."

With that, he swept out of the room, his black cloak billowing behind him.

They all got up. Yaxley walked out, while Strayheart moved a little closer to Slater. "Is he fucking his daughter again?"

"Clearly," Slater replied.

"What happened to Malfoy, then?"

"I told him yesterday not to come back again."

"_You_ did?"

Slater gave him a look.

"Ah, you mean, _he_ ordered you to tell him that?"

Slater nodded.

Strayheart shrugged. "I guess that was to be expected, eventually. But I don't quite understand why he let Malfoy at her again in the first place?"

Slater grinned. "That would be because she loves him, I'm sure."

"She _loves_ him?"

"Yes. Everyone knows that! Ask Goyle, he's known her longer than the Dark Lord has. She's loved the Malfoy kid since just about forever!"

"Alright, but why would the Dark Lord _care_ about that?"

"She's his daughter. I guess he feels he should be nice to her on occasion."

Strayheart smiled wryly. "Yeah, but of course he still wants a piece of her himself too!"

"Naturally," grinned Slater.

The guy who usually hung around with Strayheart, had been listening in to the conversation, and butted in. "But why would _she_ put up with that?"

Now all eyes were on him, disbelief clearly showing.

"What?" said Slater. "We're talking the Dark Lord here, you idiot! What _he_ says goes! She would have _no choice _but to put up with it!"

"Of… of course," said the guy, slightly taken aback.

"Still, I think the whole thing is pretty fucked up," said Strayheart. "Some father, he is!"

Slater stared at him. "You better hope he never finds out you said that, boy!"

Strayheart gave him a sheepish grin, and quickly changed the subject.

---------

Sally, in the mean time, was sitting on her bed once again reading a book, when Voldemort strode in.

"Father?" she called out in surprise.

She couldn't quite place the expression on his face. He seemed stressed out, almost… _angry_. But she had done nothing wrong, had she?

He walked over to the bed and sat next to her. "What are you reading?" he said, as he put an arm around her.

"N… nothing special," she stammered, a little frightened. "Just some book…"

He pulled her face to his chest and put both arms around her. She dropped her book as he did so. Then he leaned his chin on her head and rubbed her arm for a moment. "Sally…" he said softly. He chucked her book aside, then picked up his wand and cast a spell on her.

A chill went through her when she realized what he'd done. "No, father! NO!" she exclaimed. "Stop that, please! I don't want to…!"

He pushed her away from him so he could look at her face, and grinned. "Ahh, but you must, Sally! It will make you feel so much better! Trust me!"

She shook her head vigorously. "NO! _Take it off_, father! Stop the spell!"

He grinned at her. "Sorry. Once it is started, it cannot be stopped."

He picked up his wand again, and a moment later, they were both naked.

"FATHER!"

"DADDY, Sally, call me daddy! You know that turns me on."

"I don't _want_ to turn you on!"

He looked down at himself, then he looked back up at her and chuckled, "Too late." He pushed her onto her back and put his hand between her legs. He moved his fingers around. "And… clearly, it is too late for you too, sweetie!"

He moved over her and started kissing her neck, moving down towards her breasts. She moaned softly, as the spell was getting stronger. He chuckled a little, navigated himself between her legs, grabbed one of them, pulled it up and entered her quickly.

She gasped and arched her back. He didn't move for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being inside her.

"Ahhhh," he said, finally. "It's been a long time, Sally. Did you forget how much fun we used to have?" With that, he started moving.

However, after just a little while, there was a knock on the door and Yaxley's voice sounded through it, "My Lord, I need to speak with you. It is urgent!"

"Damn," said Voldemort, and stopped right away. He stared at Sally for a moment, then rolled off of her and got up out of the bed. He picked up his wand and cast a spell on himself. He was immediately fully dressed. Then he pointed his wand at her, after which he charged towards the door and disappeared through it, leaving Sally behind.

Sally was in shock. He had stopped the spell he had put on her earlier.

Five minutes later he strode back in, and immediately went back to her. "Now, where were we," he said with a grin. He pointed his wand on himself, and was once again naked. Then, since Sally had got under the covers in the meantime, he pulled them off of her and lay back down next to her.

"You… stopped the spell!" she said with revulsion evident in her voice.

He chuckled. "Don't worry, I shall put it back on." He picked his wand up again. "I did not want you to orgasm without me."

"But you said you couldn't stop it!"

"Of course I can. I can do anything! Did you forget who I am?"

"You _lied_ to me!"

"Well, you should have known better, should you?" He put the spell back on, and Sally realized that this one was more intense. He clearly wanted to cut short their conversation. She gasped.

"There we go, much better," he said, and within moments, they were back where they had left off before. Soon, she was approaching her orgasm. He noticed, and stopped moving. Somehow, the feeling the spell gave her, died down too.

"_Call_ me, Sally," he said. "Call my name. You do so with Draco, I want you to do that with me too."

"W… what?" she stammered.

"Daddy!" he hissed. "Say it, Sally. Come on! Tell me what you want and I shall give it to you!"

She was desperate. She needed the release that she had thought was coming, and that she was now being denied. "Daddy," she whispered through her teeth. "Please, let me come!"

He smiled. "Louder."

"Daddy," she yelled, louder now. "Daddy, please!"

"Better," he grinned. "Now, out loud. And don't forget to thank me when you get there!" He started to move, but agonizingly slow, enough for her to start feeling again, but not enough to finish.

"Daddy!" she cried out loud now. "Make me come, daddy, please!"

With a satisfied smile he moved faster, until the force of her climax overtook her.

"Daddy!" she cried out again. "Ohhhh, daddy, thank you, daddy!"

He released immediately after and let himself down on top of her, a content expression on his face. "Ahhh, Sally. I _do_ love to make my little girl happy!"

She swallowed. His words were creeping her out.

Soon after, he dressed again and glanced at a clock that was hanging in her room.

"Do you have to go somewhere, daddy?" she said without thinking.

He stared at her. Then, after a little while, he replied. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do, sweetheart. But… not just yet, I have a little time left."

He sat back down on the bed and started playing with her breasts.

"Why does that turn you on?" she questioned him.

He looked at her for a moment, but didn't reply.

"Doesn't it disgust you that you are doing this with your _daughter_?"

He laughed. "No, on the contrary, sweetie. What could be better than fucking a girl you made yourself? In particular, since I am obviously perfect. Which means _you_ must be _almost_ perfect. Naturally, I would want to be with _you,_ more than I would with anyone else!"

She stared at him, wide eyed and open-mouthed. Did he _really_ think of himself as perfect? "Nobody is perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Says who?" he said, as she stared at him in disbelief. For a little while, he studied her expression, clearly amused. Then he continued to speak. "Also, I have a tendency to sometimes like a little violence during sex. Knowing that you are my daughter, stops that." He smirked and stared at her.

She shook her head. He _really_ was something else, she thought to herself. But then, suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh… oh, goodness, I need a new potion, I'm out!" she exclaimed in a panicked voice.

He looked puzzled. "What potion?"

She blushed. "My… my contraceptive potion, I ran out a little while ago."

He chuckled. "Ah, no need to worry about that. I took care of that a long time ago."

She turned her head sharply towards him. "_What?_"

He chuckled again. "You are not going to get pregnant, my dear."

"Why not?" she asked anxiously, as she held her breath.

"I have stopped you from being able to get pregnant. Ever."

She gulped. Her head was spinning. He had done _WHAT_? "You… _what_? _WHY_?"

"Well, for a start, I can't stand children. They are noisy, disobedient and annoying. Furthermore, it would be a little confusing, don't you think? I would be their father and grandfather all at the same time." He laughed softly. "And, what if I were to have another daughter, who happened to look a lot like her mother?" He chuckled as he gave her nipples a squeeze.

Sally couldn't believe her ears. He couldn't be serious, could he? He had made her infertile? Without even so much as _talking_ to her first? "But… but what if I wanted to have a child with someone else, one day?"

He laughed out loud now. "Obviously, I would _never_ allow that," he said, as he shook his head with a ruthless smile on his face. "That is _not_ going to happen."

"Can… can it be undone?"

"No. It is permanent."

She felt nauseous. How could he possibly have done such a heinous thing to her? So now, if she ever was to get back with Draco, or anyone else for that matter, she would never be able to give him a child! She was perplexed, and immobilized with shock.

Voldemort looked back at the clock again. "Ah," he said. I really must go now. I shall see you later, angel." He gave her a quick kiss and rushed out the door.

----------

Later that day, another powerful wizard was put under the Imperius Curse at the ministry. One more step towards total darkness. Voldemort celebrated his success that night with his daughter, Sally, who had finally given up any last shred of resistance she still bared against him. She had decided it was no use resisting anyway, since as far as she was concerned, he had already won.


	80. Visiting the Order

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: There will be two more updates after this.**

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Even though this time Sally was allowed to keep her own room, she was as far from being happy as she possibly could be. Also, now that the euphoria of being with Draco was gone, she found herself thinking about Misha again, more and more often.

After discovering how nice it was to be in the woods, she took to wandering around there a lot more often. Really, any time the weather permitted she would be out there. Sometimes she would just walk around and enjoy the surroundings. Other times, she would find a log somewhere, sit on it, and cry.

One day, a few weeks after that first time, Luna finally decided she was going to talk to her. And this time, she wasn't going to let Neville stop her.

"Luna, no! You'll put us all in danger!" he complained.

"No, I won't," Luna said. "Trust me." And she glided over to Sally, who was sitting on a log with her head in her hands, crying.

Sally looked up with a shock, when she felt Luna's hand on her shoulder. "Luna!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Luna gave her a little smile. "I was just here," she said vaguely. "And I saw you. And you looked like you could use a friend. So here I am!"

Sally stared at her, as Luna took a seat next to her on the log. She was surprised and shocked, that Luna was there, but she was right, she sure as heck needed a friend.

"Why are you so sad, Sally?" Luna asked. "Did something bad happen to you?"

Sally shook her head. "Nothing bad happened to me, Luna. It's just that…well…"

Luna looked at her expectantly.

Sally took a deep breath. "I did something bad. Something terrible…"

Luna did not say anything, just looked at Sally with a serene expression on her face. Somehow, it made Sally feel comfortable with her.

"I killed a girl," Sally blurted out. She expected Luna to look shocked now, but she didn't. She looked unperturbed.

"Well," Luna said. "I am sure you must have had a good reason."

Sally stared at her, shocked at how Luna could maintain her composure so well after hearing something as terrible as that. "I… I guess I did. She was being tortured, and she was dying. But it would have been a long time until her death, had I not 'helped' her."

"See?" said Luna, while she gave Sally a hazy smile. "You did her a favor! You should not be crying. She would have been thankful for what you did!"

There was silence for a few moments.

Then Luna started talking again. "You never came back to the Order. Why not?"

Sally shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't feel like it, I guess."

Once again there was silence.

"Would you like to come with me now, to see everyone?"

"I… I don't think so," stammered Sally.

"No obligation," said Luna. "But you can just come and talk for a bit, can't you? Nobody will make you do anything you don't want to do. But we have all been concerned about you." She paused for a moment. "We never even found out what exactly happened with Purley."

Sally stared at Luna. Then a thought came to her. "Luna? Are you with the Order now?"

Luna smiled. "Yes, I am, Sally. I joined after I spoke to you. You were so brave working with them, that I thought I should do my share too!"

"Is that why you're here? You're scanning the area around our house?"

Luna nodded.

Sally thought for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to visit with them for a bit, she thought. Luna was right, she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to. But she _did_ think she owed them an explanation, at least.

She resolutely got up. "Alright. I will come with you, Luna. Just for a little while! But I'm not promising to help."

Luna smiled. "That's alright," she said, as she got up too. "We won't expect any help. Just some explanations would be nice! Now, let's see Neville first."

"Neville?" said Sally. "He's… he's here too?"

"Yes," said Luna, as she took Sally's hand and led her through the woods. "Neville?" she called out softly.

"I'm… I'm here," came the hushed reply.

"Sally will be coming with us for a little while," Luna told him.

"Hi Neville," said Sally.

Neville's eyes opened wide. "Sally? You're… you're coming with us?"

"Just for a little while," Sally replied.

Next, the three of them turned, and disappeared.

They reappeared on the front steps of #12 Grimmauld Place. Sally shrieked as she saw some familiar faces outside the building… Death Eaters!

"They're watching us," said Neville. "But don't worry, Sally, they can't see you while you're on the steps."

Sally breathed a sigh of relief, and they entered the building.

Everyone was highly surprised, but extremely pleased when they spotted Sally. They talked for a while, since they had a lot to catch up on. Obviously, everyone wanted to know exactly what had happened to Purley, and why. Sally explained how she had been attacked, and how her father had come to her rescue.

They were all astounded. None of them would ever have expected Voldemort to commit such a seemingly selfless act, risking his life using the Breath of Life on her. They were so impressed, that no one reflected on the fact that maybe he was _so_ confident of his own abilities, that he never considered his life actually being at risk…

Sally also explained to everyone about how the Breath of Life had affected them in the end, how their life forces were now connected. How this had proven to be detrimental to his immortality, since his horcruxes would no longer keep him alive if Sally were to die.

But she failed to tell them that _she_ could not be killed now either. She did not like the thought of them knowing that she had committed such a gruesome and abominable act, that she had created a _horcrux_. She had told Draco, of course, but only because at the time she had felt so very much connected with him. But she sure hoped he would never tell anyone!

"So the attack on Purley was nothing more than 'revenge' for what those Muggles had done to you?" asked Harry.

She nodded quietly. She was appalled and ashamed that so many innocent people had been killed because of something that had happened to her.

She also explained that their secret was still safe, that Voldemort did not know about their plan to defeat him.

"But then, what about Draco?" asked Hermione.

Sally looked puzzled.

"For a while, he was a regular visitor again at the Riddle House," said Hermione. "We assumed that was because he must have done something for Voldemort. Something that put him back into Voldemort's good graces. Like telling him about our plan!"

Sally raised her eyebrows. "No. No, that wasn't it at all! Draco was back because of _me_! My father knew how I felt about him, so he invited him back!"

They all fell quiet. This certainly wasn't what they had expected.

Hermione frowned. "Are you sure, that that was the only reason You-Know-Who invited him back?"

"Absolutely!" Sally replied. "I am certain Draco never told him _anything_. He hardly ever saw him anyway, he was always with me!"

"But then, why is Draco now no longer going there anymore?" said Harry.

Sally looked down. "Because I asked my father not to let him come back anymore."

"_You_ asked for that?" said Hermione incredulously. "But why?"

Sally shrugged. "We had an argument."

"But I thought… that you loved him?"

"Yeah well. It's just… it's kind of… personal."

"Something to do with the fact that he was also seeing Astoria Greengrass perhaps?" said Percy, who had quietly been standing with the crowd that had assembled around her.

Sally looked up at him in shock. "How… how do you know?"

Percy shrugged. "It's not exactly a secret. It's pretty well known, actually. They've been going out for quite a while now."

Everyone now stared at Percy.

"Didn't they… didn't they break up at all then? While he was with Sally?" asked Hermione.

Percy shook his head. "Nobody knows he was with Sally, did they? And no, they never _did_ break up. Not that I know of, anyway. He's still with her now!"

"Oh, that scumbag!" exclaimed Hermione.

Sally was now looking at her feet. The conversation was making her very uncomfortable, and she wished they would change the subject.

"Anyway," she said, finally. "It's getting late. I have to get back home."

"Will you help us again?" asked Harry, even though he had a feeling the answer would be negative.

Sally shook her head. "How can I, after what he's done for me, now? But I won't stand in your way. Do what you have to do. He doesn't know about your plan and he won't hear it from me. That's a promise!"

Harry gave her a disappointed look. "Well, it's your decision, obviously. So I guess you won't be coming back here, then?"

Sally shook her head, and proceeded to say goodbye to everyone. Then she went outside and apparated back to the Riddle House from the front steps of the building.

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Shortly after that, Hermione got ready to leave.

"Where are you going?" inquired Ron.

Hermione had an angry look on her face. "I'm going to Malfoy Manor. _Somebody_ needs to tell Malfoy what a scumbag he is!"


	81. Back to the Plan

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: The penultimate chapter! Only one more to go after this.**

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Draco was at home, in his room, when the doorbell rang. Shortly after that, a house elf came to tell him that a certain 'Hermione Granger' was asking to speak to him.

'Granger?' He thought to himself. What did _she_ want from him? For a moment, he contemplated leaving her be. But his curiosity got the better of him, and so he apparated to the gates.

The minute he appeared, he was slammed back against the gates. His wand flew out of his hand, and before he knew it, Hermione was standing over him, her wand under his chin.

"You foul, dirty rotten two-timing swine!" she yelled at him. "You filthy scumbag!"

Draco looked highly surprised, but kept his composure. He carefully sat up, keeping a close watch on Hermione, and, in particular, her wand.

"Granger," he began, raising his eyebrows. "Would you care to remind me when I ever had relations with you? I seem to have forgotten."

"Not _me_, you idiot!" hissed Hermione. "I'm talking about Sally! My friend!"

"Sally?" he sat up straighter now. "You saw her? Where was she?"

"None of your business. And why would you even care?"

"For your information, Granger, I happen to care a lot. More than you could possibly imagine!"

"Do you now," breathed Hermione. "So, what is it then? You've fallen in love with two girls, and can't make up your mind which one to pick?"

Draco carefully got back to his feet. "As usual, Granger, you think you know everything. Well, let me enlighten you, Mudblood! You know absolutely _nothing_! You couldn't even _begin_ to imagine what this is all about, or how I really feel about your 'friend'. You have no idea!"

"I know enough," she spat. "I know that you were having a relationship with Sally while you were still openly seeing Astoria Greengrass. And that's all I need to know! That's enough to confirm to me that you are still the scumbag you used to be in school. You haven't changed in the slightest!"

Draco scoffed. "_Really_. And did it ever occur to you that there may be more to it than that? Did you ever stop to think about whom she is living with at the moment? And how he manipulates people to suit himself?"

"You-Know-Who?" said Hermione with a frown. "What does he have to do with you and Sally?"

Draco stared at her. "Everything!" he exclaimed.

Hermione looked nonplussed.

"You really have no idea, have you? You don't know anything about their relationship, do you? How _sick_ it is?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" said Hermione.

Draco continued staring at her. "Never mind," he said finally.

Hermione's mind was working feverishly, but still, she didn't understand. "Just tell me one thing, Malfoy."

He folded his arms and waited expectantly.

"If you really care about Sally, as you seem to be suggesting here, how come you didn't break up with Ms. Greengrass when you were seeing her?"

"I was ordered _not_ to," Draco spat, anger evident in his eyes. "Just as I was _ordered_ not to tell Sally that I love her!"

Hermione looked shocked.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to go pick up my wand and go back inside, so I can continue my musing on how I lost the love of my life to a perverted psychopath."

Hermione couldn't think of anything to say to this, so she continued watching him as he turned around and disapparated.

It was Hermione's turn to be confused.

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Once back at Grimmauld Place Hermione spent quite a long time thinking about her 'conversation' with Draco. And still, she didn't understand. Clearly, he was no longer enamored by Voldemort, but she wasn't at _all_ sure about his allegations against him.

He seemed to imply that Voldemort was trying to sabotage his relationship with Sally, but she couldn't see why Voldemort would want to do that. After all, it seemed more and more obvious that he _did_ actually care about his daughter, didn't it?

Hermione finally decided that she would talk to Sally again, so she asked Luna and Neville to let her know the next time Sally went out into the woods.

She didn't have to wait long. The next day, Luna apparated to Grimmauld Place to inform Hermione that Sally was out, and Hermione apparated back with Luna to the woods around the Riddle House.

As soon as they arrived, Hermione approached Sally.

"Sally, how are you?" Hermione started.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?" Sally exclaimed in surprise.

"I wanted to tell you that I went to see Draco yesterday."

"You did _WHAT_? Why?"

"I just wanted to talk to him." Hermione paused for a second as she looked sternly at Sally. "Do you know he called you the 'love of his life'?"

"Yeah, right," Sally replied.

"Seriously! He also said a few things I didn't quite understand. Something about a 'sick' relationship between you and your father."

Sally stopped walking and stared at Hermione. "Yes. So?"

"You understand what he means by that?"

"Yes, I do. But what of it?"

"Well, apparently during the time he was seeing you in the Riddle House, he was ordered by your father to continue his relationship with Astoria Greengrass. Or so he claims. He also claims that he was ordered never to tell you that he loved you."

Suddenly, Sally was unable to move. She swallowed hard, and gave Hermione a piercing look. "Are you… are you sure that's what he said?"

"Absolutely," Hermione said.

"Can I see what he said exactly?"

"Sure. Go ahead!"

Sally did Legilimency on Hermione and saw the conversation between her and Draco. Then she let herself fall against a tree, and slowly slid down it to the floor. "Oh my goodness," she said quietly. She thought back on the last time she had seen Draco, and how he had been acting unusual, like he wasn't himself. What if he_ really _hadn't been himself? She gasped. She was starting to feel sick. Had this just been another one of her father's tricks? She gulped. He must have used Polyjuice potion…

Sally hid her face in her hands as she felt tears pricking behind her eyelids again.

Hermione sank down beside her. "Sally," she started. "Would you care to explain what this is all about?"

Sally shook her head. "No, I… I can't, Hermione," she stammered, her voice quavering. "But I've had enough. I'm done! I will do whatever I can to help you defeat him." She looked up from her hands and stared at Hermione. "How far are you with the plan?"


	82. The End

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.**_

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**A/N: As you can tell from the title, this is the end. I hereby would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, and especially those who reviewed.**

**I would love it if you could all leave me one last review, though!**

**Thanks again, and enjoy!**

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Back at Grimmauld Place, Sally was filled in on the progress of the plan. They had been mostly ready for about a week now.

Hermione and Percy had perfected the formula for the potion that would capture the life force and encase it into a small object. They were going to use a marble. The others had also finally come up with a spell that would make a wall impenetrable for a life force. They would be able to protect the walls and ceiling in a small room this way. The room would also be warded to ensure it would be possible to apparate into it, but not to disapparate out of it.

Once the marble would contain Voldemort's life force, they would put it into a magically protected and indestructible box. The box would be locked with a special key, the only key that could ever open the box. After the box was locked they would destroy the key. Harry would then take the box and fly over the ocean, dropping it at a random spot where it would sink to the ocean floor, where it would remain for the rest of eternity.

The only thing left that they had been pondering over lately, was how to get Voldemort into this room, _by himself_, so that either Ron or Hermione, who would have to be in the room too, could cast the Killing Curse on him and start the procedure to capture his life force.

"I can help with that," said Sally, her face white as a sheet.

Everyone looked expectantly at her. She rolled up her sleeve and showed them her mark.

"Dad?" frowned Hermione.

"It works like the Dark Mark," said Sally. "This is how he managed to rescue me from the Muggles at Purley. If I touch it, he'll come."

Everyone was staring at Sally now.

"That's it! That should work!" exclaimed Harry.

"But that means Sally will have to be in the room too," said Ron.

"Yes, Ron's right," said Harry, somewhat less enthusiastic now. "And you are not protected by my sacrifice, Sally! He could kill you if he realizes you set him up!"

But Hermione shook her head. "He can't. Remember the Breath of Life? If he kills Sally, he'll die too. Properly! His horcruxes won't save him then!"

There was silence for a moment. That wasn't _exactly_ true, Sally thought. But close enough, and it didn't make much difference anyway. Even if he _did_ cast the killing curse on her, it would not stop Ron or Hermione from casting the killing curse on _him_.

"But… doesn't that mean that if one of us kills You-Know-Who, that you will die too?" said Ron.

Sally shook her head. "No, because he won't actually die. His life force will continue to exist because of his horcruxes, and therefore my life force would continue to exist. I'll be quite safe."

"How can you be so sure of this?" asked Harry.

Sally smiled. "He told me himself. He won't be wrong about this!"

There was another silence.

"So it'll just be Sally and me in that room. Sally will call You-Know-Who, then I'll kill him, we will capture his life force, and we're done?" said Ron.

"Almost," said Hermione. "Except that it'll be _me_ in that room, not you."

Ron laughed. "I don't think so. What if something goes wrong? You could be killed!"

"So could you, Ron. Besides, I have been working on figuring out how to capture a life force into a marble for the last few months! _You_ haven't. We can't risk _anything_ going wrong with that!"

"Teach me!" said Ron. "Besides, Sally will be there too! She can help."

"Sally will be _no_ help to you at _that_ point," said Hermione. "Think about that, Ron! Her _father_ will be _killed_!"

They all turned to Sally who was nervously biting her lip.

Harry bent his head. "No, Ron, Hermione is right. It _has_ to be her! We can't take any risks here, there's too much at stake."

Ron stared at Harry, giving him a foul look. "Don't be _ridiculous_, mate! I can do this! And you'll need Hermione more than me if it goes wrong. Plus, don't forget she'll actually have to kill him! She's never killed anyone before! Who knows if she can?"

"Nor have you!" yelled Hermione now. "Who knows if _you_ can? And you're just as valuable to the Order as I am!"

"Ron, listen," said Harry. "If we assume everything goes as planned, we need Hermione there more than you. I don't doubt your ability to learn the spell required, but by now, Hermione can just about _dream_ that spell. She won't mess up, even if she gets nervous." They all looked at Ron. "No, Ron, Hermione is the right person for the job here. Sorry, mate."

"Well, that's it, then, isn't it?" said Ron, gritting his teeth in defeat.

Everyone nodded quietly. They were ready.

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"Alright, Sally," said Hermione. "It's time. Let's do it!"

Sally was nervous. This was it, it was going to happen. Was it going to work? She couldn't see how it couldn't. They had planned everything out so meticulously! Still, she was concerned. And a little sad, too. He was her father, after all! But they'd gone over this enough times. Father or not, he deserved this. If there was anyone in the world who deserved this, it would be him! She _had_ to do it! She just _had_ to!

And so she pressed the mark on her left arm.

They were waiting. Waiting inside the room that would retain his life force, so they could capture it. Just she and Hermione. Hermione would be safe because of Harry's sacrifice, Sally would be safe because of the Breath of Life. The walls of the room had been made one-way transparent, so the rest of the Order could keep an eye on them to make sure everything was going as planned. Nothing could go wrong. This was going to be his end! They just had to wait for him to turn up.

And he did. Not too long after she had pressed her mark, he turned up. Right inside the room. They knew he wouldn't be able to disapparate out of the room, the wards made sure of that. He looked around. He saw Sally and Hermione. Did he know? All they needed to do now, was cast the Killing Curse. Hermione would do it. But Hermione didn't seem to be able to move! She was shaking. Her wand was out, but she wasn't casting anything! She appeared temporarily petrified. Voldemort's wand was out too, but he didn't seem to be doing anything either.

_Nothing was happening._

But then Voldemort's eyes seemed to grow wider, as if at that instant he finally understood what was going to happen. He looked at Sally, shock clearly visible on his face. Then he turned to Hermione and noticed she had started coming back to her senses. Her eyes lost their vagueness and a more determined expression came over her face, as she pointed her wand out towards him. Her arm was still shaking, but it was at least somewhat steadier than before.

Hermione started calling out, "Ava…avada…"

Voldemort reached a hand out towards her. "No! Don't…" he started, his voice panicked.

Hermione hesitated for a moment, as she looked into his face. As soon as she did, his facial expression changed and made way for a look of undisguised relief. He opened his mouth to speak again, clearly grateful for the delay and fully intend on making maximum use of it.

But before he could utter another word, Sally's voice shouted out, "Avada Kedavra!" and a green light shot from her wand towards him. He was blasted full force backwards against the wall, sliding down it and ending up in a crumpled heap on the floor.

Hermione stared at Sally, trembling. "Sally, you did it!" she exclaimed, relief spreading over her face.

Sally gulped as she stared back at Hermione. "I…I had to," she stammered.

Hermione nodded. "Yes… yes you're right, I was being stupid! Thanks, Sally. And I'm sorry for being so foolish! I should have done it right away, I don't know what came over me!" She let out a deep sigh as she appeared to gather her thoughts together.

They just needed to capture his life force now. Hermione cautiously walked up to Voldemort's body and cast the spell that summoned the cauldron with the potion they had prepared beforehand. Then she cast another spell, and added the marble to the cauldron.

"What are you doing, Hermione?" asked Sally.

Hermione frowned, and looked up at her, and for a moment, they stared into each other's eyes again. "What do you mean Sally? You know what I'm doing, don't you?"

"Yes," she said quickly. "I'm sorry, I thought you used the wrong spell. It's… the stress, I think. Did his life force enter the marble?"

"Yes," replied Hermione. "I have it!"

----------

Just a few moments later, when the marble had been encased in the indestructible little box, the key had been destroyed, and Harry was getting ready to fly away with it to drop it into the ocean, Sally stood a few steps away from the others. She stared at the body of Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, and felt sad. It was over. For good this time!

But on the other hand, it had had to be done. _For the greater good. _Sally walked over to him and kneeled beside his body. She picked up his wand, the Elder wand, and put it inside her cloak. Nobody knew that he had had the Elder wand, and there was no need for them to know, lest there would be questions as to how he had obtained it.

After spending just a little more time with Harry, Ron and Hermione, she finally went back home. They had questioned her whether she still wanted to remain living at the Riddle House, but she _did_. It was her home, she felt it as such and wanted to stay.

They had also wanted to know if she was going to get back with Draco, but she had shaken her head vigorously. No, she would _never_ get back with him, _that_ she knew for certain! Although she couldn't quite explain why. She told them it just didn't feel right anymore.

And so she apparated back to the Riddle House. Once she got in, she was greeted by Wolny.

"Good evening, Mistress," Wolny said.

Sally stared at her. "I shall be up in my bedroom. The _master_ bedroom. Bring me something to eat."

She went upstairs to the bedroom that Sally and her father used to share. Soon Wolny had brought her some food. She took it and dismissed the elf absent-mindedly.

After Wolny left, Sally went over to the mirror and looked at it. She took her top and bra off and stared at her reflection. Her hands moved to her breasts and started massaging them slowly, a fingernail tracing around the nipples. A small smile appeared on her lips. Or, rather… _his_ lips.

There was no doubt he would miss her. But he did not feel bad about her terrible fate. She had betrayed him, after all. Again! And at least now, he would be able to look at her body and play with it, whenever he felt like it, since _her_ body… was now… _his_!

So in a way, she would be with him forever…

The End

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**A/N: In case anybody hasn't guessed yet; once he arrived in the room with Sally and Hermione, Voldemort performed a body-swap on Sally non-verbally, then cast the killing curse on his own body (that now contained Sally's life force). He survived, Sally did not. Her life force is now encased in a marble in an indestructible perpetually locked box on the bottom of the ocean, whereas Voldemort resides inside her body.**

**Please leave me a review, to let me know what you thought of the story. Thanks!**

**Also, please visit my profile to vote on whether you would like to see a sequel to this or not (mostly about Voldemort living his life in a female body).**

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